Stone Ashes
by DreamHeart
Summary: Crystal Tokyo is fast approaching, with it comes new roles and responsibilities not only for Serena and Darien but for the Senshi too. It is a time of tribulation and the unexpected. Only the fire knows what is to come out of the ashes. Senshi Shitennou.
1. Chapter 1

**Stone Ashes**

Chapter 1

**by - DreamHeart (a.k.a. - smileybecka)**

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT own Sailor Moon or any of its characters BUT I DO OWN the story. Remember plagerism is bad.

* * *

The Crown Arcade was busy today; as usual there were a bunch of giggly teenage girls hanging around the counter batting their eye lashes trying to get the clerk's attention and the sounds of the various video games buzzing in the air. All of this fell on deaf ears, or at least it did to the young woman in the corner booth.

She had long raven black hair that fell absently around her as she kept her head bowed, anxiously rubbing her hands together. Every now and then she would slightly raise her head to let her violet eyes dart, only for a moment, to the window – looking for someone.

But she didn't have to wait for long because just then a young blonde with a strange hairdo slid into the booth and plopped her purse down on the table.

"Hi, Rei. I got your message and came as soon as I could," the blonde smiled.

"Hey, Sere. Thanks." Rei smiled a bit but continued to stare at her hands.

Worried the blonde gently placed her hand on top of Rei's. "Rei, what's wrong?"

Rei shut her eyes and whispered, "I saw it, Serena."

"Saw what?" Serena's brow was now furrowed, her once crystal blue eyes were now tumultuous with worry.

"It's coming. It won't be long now. We could have days, hours, or even minutes left before it hits."

Serena nodded. "Crystal Tokyo. It's ok to be nervous. I'm nervous about it, too."

"That's not it, Sere. I'm ok with being the fire senshi, with helping you establish your kingdom, with having to rebuild Mars and the rest of the planets but . . ."

"But what? Please, Rei, tell me."

"What will he think? I know that I've never been great with men but this just seems doomed. I mean at least Darien knows and he's married to you. But Chad doesn't. He doesn't even know that I . . . that I . . . like him."

Inwardly Serena gave a sigh of relief. Though her friend, her best friend, was clearly upset she had at least not had another vision filled with death and destruction. "Why haven't you told him?"

"He's my friend." Rei ran a hand through her long raven locks. "I don't want to jeopardize that. I think he feels same way about me but then again I could be wrong. Been wrong before. Besides what's he going to think when he finds out who I really am? Everything's going to change."

Serena got up and sat down next to Rei wrapping her arm around her friend's shoulders. She leaned her head against Rei's and absently began to play with the long inky locks. "And who are you?"

"I am the Fire Senshi, protector of the Moon Princess, and the Martian princess."

"Oh, sweetie," Serena hugged her tightly. "You are so much more than that. Look beyond all that. You are a warm, kind, and loving person. True you can be a bit stubborn and pig headed." Rei gently hit Serena's hand and smiled a bit. "But you are my best friend. Give him a fighting chance, Rei. Listen I love you - we all do, and if he doesn't understand then his loss ok?" Serena gently tilted Rei's chin so that she was looking at her. "But I think it's time we had a Senshi meeting, don't you?"

Rei nodded.

Serena released Rei from her grip. "Good. Can you get in touch with everybody? I've got to get back to work." With that Serena grabbed her purse and began to get up, but a hand on her back stopped her.

"Thanks, Sere. I needed that."

Serena turned back and gave her a hug. "No problem, hon. But I want my spitfire back by the time I see you at the shrine later, ok?"

"Ok." Rei then watched Serena leave and looked after her long after she could no longer see the blonde's trademark meatball pigtails. Then she lightly shook her head, 'I'm such an idiot. I don't do this . . . over any man. Then why this one? I have to believe that you're right, Sere.'

* * *

Rei had walked home not long after Serena left her; she now stood just outside the shrine blankly staring at all the stairs before her. After a moment, she shook her head bringing her back to reality and began to climb the long and winding staircase.

As she walked she deeply breathed in the sweet aroma of the cherry blossom trees and listened to the sweet songs of the birds that nested in their branches.

At the top of the stairs, she was greeted by a young man dressed in his usual ceremonial attire - a billowy white shirt and a blue pair of hakama. He had dark chocolate colored hair that fell in his eyes, his soft brown eyes. "Hi, Rei, I'm just finishing up my chores and then I'm going to make some lunch. Would you like some?"

Her violet eyes lit up and her pulse raced but only for a moment. She had caught herself again, the millionth time. "Hi, Chad. Yes, I would like some lunch thanks. Just let me change, ok?"

"All right. It shouldn't take me long; I've just got to finish the sweeping." With that Chad left her.

She smiled and looked after him for a moment. Then sighing Rei turned and went to her room.

After closing her door, she pulled the communicator out of her pocket. Plopping down on her bed she called Ami and after a moment the blue-haired genius appeared on the small screen.

"Hey, Rei, what's up? Is anything wrong?" Ami inquired.

"Nothing serious, Ames," Rei assured her. "I just wanted to let you know that there's going to be a meeting later. Probably about five o'clock, ok?"

"Ok, see you then." And with that Ami's image disappeared from the screen.

She had similar conversations with Lita and Mina a few minutes later. She knew that they would tell Luna, Artemis, and Darien when they saw them. Now fully satisfied that she had done her duty, she began to change into her own ceremonial attire – a billowy white blouse and a pair of red hakama.

She was nearly finished when a gentle knock came at her door.

"Yes?" she called through the paper screen door.

"Rei," Chad gulped and then after a moment. "Lunch is ready."

"Oh, ok, thanks. Be out in a minute."

He watched her shadow through the door. She was tying back her hair with a ribbon, a red ribbon, he knew. That silky black hair that fell down her back in waves – it had to be so soft. He placed a hand on the door reaching, reaching to touch it. His mouth was dry. He blinked hard and withdrew his hand from her door. He shook his head as he walked back to the kitchen, 'I'm just a friend. Whew, I'd better make myself a cup of **STRONG** tea.'

Inside, Rei smiled to herself, 'He stayed. What an interesting development.' Then she allowed herself to float down to the kitchen while her heart and mind were hopelessly lost up on cloud nine.

He was seated at the island drinking a cup of tea and before him was a tray of sandwiches and a tea pot. Rei sat down across from him and poured herself some tea as well. Then as she reached for her first sandwich she smiled, "This looks great, Chad. Thank you."

His soft chocolate brown eyes were huge and he blinked hard. 'She's actually complimenting ME.' "No problem, no problem at all, Rei."

The rest of the meal was spent in silence, each unsure of what to say and both a little afraid to make the first move.

When Rei had finished her meal she quietly sipped her tea as she waited for him to finish. Once she was fairly sure that he was done she picked up both of their plates and carried them to the sink. Turning the water on she waited a moment letting it get warm and then turned to the still seated Chad and tossed a towel at him. "I wash. You dry."

He shot her a toothy grin. "Sure, it's fine by me." Then he picked up their glasses and the teapot and handed them to her.

She set them gently in the sink and then squirted some soap on a sponge. As she began to wash the dishes she began to list the things that needed to be done. "Chad, I know that there are some leftover sandwiches from lunch but could you make some more for later? Everyone is coming over later and you've seen Serena eat." She chuckled lightly.

He took the plate from her as he reveled in the sweet music of her laughter before snapping back to reality to reply, "No problem. I'll whip up a smorgasbord for them."

"I also need you to prepare the main room for a fire reading. I'm going to go do some meditation first and then probably after everyone is here I'll do one."

"As you wish."

* * *

brump! brump!

Rei had been meditating for about an hour when she heard these strange noises. 'It's probably nothing,' she assured herself. 'Chad will take care of it.' With that she resumed her meditation.

But the noises only grew louder.

Brump! Brump! Brump!

Rei's eyes flickered open. 'Focus, Rei, focus. Chad will take care of it. It's nothing to worry about.'

**BRUMP! BRUMP! BRUMP! BRUMP!**

She sighed. "I'm never going to be able to focus with all that racket." She pushed herself up and opened the paper screen door. Frustrated she stepped out of her room and looked up and down the hallway, but there was no one there. She decided to follow the noise – heading off to the right toward the kitchen.

As she neared the kitchen's swinging door she noticed that the floor was unusually wet. 'Oh, no.' She gulped and gently pushed the door open.

The sight that greeted her was a kitchen entirely submerged in a sea of bubbles. Her hand flew to her mouth as she surveyed the mess with wide eyes.

In front of her the bubbles seemed to be moving. Her eyes grew wider. Out of this blizzard of bubbles a very flustered Chad emerged flailing a broom about clearing a path for himself - nearly hitting Rei with it. Once he realized it his hand flew to her arm. "Omigosh, Rei, are you ok? I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. I just put a load of laundry to wash. I think that I might have put in a bit too much soap, but I didn't think that this would happen. I'm really sorry, Rei, for all this commotion and I promise to clean it up."

But before Rei could respond they were interrupted by someone giggling hysterically behind Rei.

Irritated she spun around to face the culprit. It was Mina. Tears were now streaming down the blonde's face and she could hardly breathe, she was laughing too hard. Rei's violet eyes gleamed dangerously with anger. "You think this is funny, do you?" The priestess motioned to the kitchen and Mina tried desperately to stop laughing. "I don't even want to think about the state the laundry room is in. So, if you don't want to help him clean it, I'd advise that you wipe that stupid smirk off your face." Then Rei grabbed the broom that Chad was holding and thrust it at Mina. "And as for you," Rei started as she turned back to Chad, "you clean up this mess. And pray that I find the main room to be to my liking when I go to do my fire reading." With that Rei turned on her heel and stormed back to her bedroom.

Mina choked down her laughter and gave Chad a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry that probably would've gone over better if it weren't for me. . . . I just couldn't help it. It was just too funny. By the way, how much soap did you put in there, really?"

Chad stared down at the floor for a moment, but it seemed like ages to him. Then he ran a hand through his dark hair and mumbled, "Six or seven cups." He looked up at her, his eyes pleading with her to understand. "But the clothes were so dirty, Mina. I didn't think it could hurt. I mean, I had dug out a flower bed, I . . ."

Mina cut him off. "It's ok." Her crystal blue eyes danced and she struggled not to laugh again. "It made my day. Don't worry Rei won't be mad for long. Why don't I give you a hand until everyone else shows up? It'll give Rei a chance to cool down a bit." Then she took her trademark red bow out of her hair and placed it in her purse. She let the broom lean against the wall as she pulled the long blonde tresses into a ponytail with a hair tie and rolled up her sleeves. "Ok, then, let's get started." She grabbed the broom and started to head off into the wall of suds but paused just inches from them and turned, "You did turn off the washing machine, right?"

"Yea, I had just done that when Rei got here."

"Just checking." With that she headed fearlessly into the suds, flailing the broom about to clear herself a path as she headed toward the back door.

Chad sighed gratefully and headed toward a nearby closet. Then after grabbing a couple of buckets and the mop he followed after Mina.

Mina smiled gratefully as she reached the back door. 'Who knew that six cups of detergent could make so many suds!' "Chad! Chad, are you almost here?"

"Almost," came the muffled reply.

'Ok, no time like the present.' Nodding to herself, she unlocked the door and swung it open. She stepped outside and took a deep breath, grateful for a bit of fresh air. After a moment or two she noticed that the door would not stay open on its own, so she started looking around for something to prop it open with, but had little luck.

The yard was pristine as usual thanks to Rei and Chad. The plum trees were blowing gently in the wind. The only thing that could have been of any use to her were a couple of wooden benches nearby that of course were bolted to the ground to make sure that they survived both storms and thieves. Frustrated she turned back to face the door only to find Chad just making his way out of the disaster area. Then it hit her. Smiling sweetly she batted her long lashes at him. "Chad could you do me a favor? Could you go back inside and get a chair to prop this door open, please?"

Chad sighed inwardly in defeat and then quietly set down the buckets, let the mop lean against the wall, and walked back into the storm.

Mina giggled quietly to herself and picked up a bucket to start shoveling out the suds while she waited for Chad. But it turned out to be just a bit harder than she had originally thought it would be. Every time she went to fill the bucket with suds the door would either hit her in the rear or push her inside completely. After a few failed rounds with the door, she in frustration threw her bucket in the yard and leaned up against the door thoroughly irritated.

A moment or two later, Chad appeared with the chair. "Hey, are you ok?"

"I'm all right. I just had a little trouble with the door."

He chuckled lightly. "Well problem solved." Then he picked up the broom in one hand and the remaining bucket in the other. "Choose your weapon, milady – broom or bucket?"

"Broom."

"And I'll take the bucket. Shall we?" He motioned toward the doorway filled with suds.

"Of course." With that they began the painstaking task of shoveling the sea of suds out of the laundry room and kitchen.

At first, of course, their efforts seemed to be all in vain. The sea of bubbles just seemed to have no end. After about thirty minutes, however, she could just make out the faintest outline of the washer and dryer. She smiled contently to herself and carried on with her work.

A minute or two later she heard a loud noise and turned to see Chad going back to refill his bucket. Mina immediately dismissed it, deciding that he had just probably hit the doorframe or something when he went to empty the bucket. After a few more minutes, though, she heard someone groan and glanced back in the direction she had first heard the noise. Sure enough there was Serena sitting on the ground pouting and covered in suds.

"Serena! What are you doing?" Mina offered the blonde her hand and once again fought hard not to laugh, though this time proved to be a bit more difficult to resist and she finally caved into a fit of giggles. Falling to the ground, she hugged her sides as she rolled around in the suds laughing uncontrollably.

"A lot of help you are, Mina." Serena pushed herself up. "What do you think I'm doing here?" Then she frowned as she noticed that her friend was still rolling around in laughter. She put her hands on her hips and quietly began to tap her foot impatiently. "Are you quite finished yet?"

Mina held up a hand to her and Serena begrudgingly pulled her up. Mina took a deep breath and surely but slowly the giggles subsided.

Serena shook her head and continued. "I was just curious where all the bubbles were coming from. With all the wind you can see them all the way down the block. Darien told me to wait, but you know me."

Mina poked her playfully in the side and giggled once more. "Are you going to tell him that your curiosity got you clocked with a bucket?"

"Shut up! You were probably the one who did it anyway."

"No I swear it wasn't me. Scout's honor."

"Hmmm. Then who?"

"Chad but don't say anything, Sere. He feels bad enough about making this mess – six cups of laundry detergent. You can only imagine the state that Rei's in right now."

Serena laughed, "I guess I'm thankful that Darien's never pulled a stunt like this. I bet she's madder than a wet hen."

"Probably worse."

"C'est la vie. Anyways, can I avoid this mess or do I have to go through it?"

"No, it's just in the kitchen and the laundry room."

"Aww, that means no snacks. Oh well, be in in a minute? I want to get this meeting started as soon as everybody gets here."

"Sure just let me give Chad a head's up and then I'll be right in." Serena smiled and then left. Mina then turned just in time to narrowly escape being Chad's second victim.

His eyes were huge and his brow furrowed with concern. He immediately dropped the bucket and grabbed her arm to steady her. "Mina! Mina, are you ok? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She shook her head. "No, Chad. Don't worry about it. It was an accident."

His head went limp and his chin fell to his chest. "I've been having a lot of those lately."

"Don't worry about it Chad. Listen you know how big of a klutz Serena is and we still love her to death. Think of it this way, you're not half as bad as her so we're bound to love you too." She playfully punched him in the jaw and smiled. "I've got to go meet up with everyone. Do you think that you can handle the rest by yourself?"

The twinkle returned to Chad's eyes and he picked up the broom. "No problem. Thanks again for all of your help."

But she stared at him for a moment or two trying hard to figure out whether or not he was really being sincere. Mina was so swept up in her thoughts that she did not hear him let out a heavy sigh nor did she notice that he moved to swipe at her with the broom, but her instincts saved her rear from being swatted with it. The dark rich tones of his laughter brought her back to reality. "Earth to Mina. Anybody home?"

She blinked hard.

"Go on now. Don't want to make Rei any madder."

"Right." Then turning on her heel she ran through the disaster area and straight to Rei's room.

She stood in the doorway for a moment just absorbing every detail of the room and her friends.

Lita was lying on her stomach in the middle of the room lazily reading a magazine. Amy was sitting at Rei's desk showing Luna and Artemis something on her computer. Serena, meanwhile, was sitting with Rei on the bed trying to get the still fuming priestess to calm down.

Mina sighed, 'It might not be heaven but it's still pretty damn good.' Strolling nonchalantly into the room she failed to notice that Darien was leaning against the wall adjacent to the door. As she passed him, he placed a friendly hand on her shoulder and was just about to greet her . . . but after centuries of training Mina's reflexes had split second timing. Before he knew it, Darien was flat on his back at Mina's feet, just centimeters from where Lita was lounging.

"Omph!" The wind escaped his lungs as Darien hit the ground.

"Mina!" Lita exclaimed as she collected her wits. "What the hell was that for? The man was only going to say hello and you nearly flipped him on top of 'me'!"

Amidst this a blonde streak flew from the bed to Darien. Serena gently stroked his jaw line and studied his deep ocean blue eyes. "Are you ok, Darien?"

"Been better," he managed to choke out. "But I've been worse too."

Mina, meanwhile, just stood there like a statue in disbelief. Her eyes were wide with both shock and regret. "Darien, I'm so sorry. Are you ok? I didn't think . . . it was just instinctive. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry." Her chin fell to her chest heavy with guilt.

Darien slowly sat up and gave her a smile. "Hey, don't worry about it. No harm done."

Mina heaved a sigh of relief and then went rushing to give her friend a hug. "You're sure you're ok?"

Meanwhile, Serena smiled at the pair and then threw the still glowering Lita a disapproving glare.

"You may be tough little girl but I've taken worse," Darien chuckled.

Mina plopped down happily next to Rei's bed and raised an eyebrow at him mischievously – knowing where he was going with this. "Really? From who?"

Obediently Lita shrugged off her angry mood and returned to reading her magazine.

"Sere."

"Huh?" The sound of her name caught her attention. Then seeing Mina giggling and Darien feigning innocence, she knew that he had said something about her. She poked him playfully in his side. "Better watch it mister. I'll give you a run for your money."

"Oh, you know I love you."

"Mmmhmm," she smiled. Then thoroughly satisfied that peace had been restored, Serena decided that playtime was over. "Let's get down to business. As you know we are here because of some new developments, but we'll talk about that in a few minutes. I think that we would all agree that we've grown complacent over the last couple of years due to the lack of attacks. Am I right?" She paused and allowed her sapphire eyes to survey the group for their responses. Their nods were enough to convince her of their mutual agreement. "Then I think that it would be prudent to step it up a notch in our training. I want each of us to take one round with everyone everyday. If you lose then make it two rounds with the victor. Mina, of course, will supervise the training sessions as usual. We'll begin this new regime tomorrow bright and early – no excuses. I know that the Outers aren't here because of Michiru's tour but I'll see to it that they are well of aware of what's going on. Now, Rei, let's bring everyone up to speed."

All eyes turned to the priestess. Calmly Rei took a deep breath and began, "Crystal Tokyo and the great freeze are coming. I have foreseen it."

Mina furrowed her brow with deep concern. "Don't be so cryptic. What exactly does that mean? And when is it going to hit?"

Amy, always quick to answer, chimed in, "The great freeze is exactly what it sounds like. The entire Earth will be completely frozen and every living organism will be put into a state of suspended animation. Only Serena, Neo-Queen Serenity, and the power of the Imperium Crystal will be able to awaken the planet."

"Thank you, Ami. Mina," Rei sighed, "I really don't know when it is going to hit only that it will be soon."

It was then that Luna jumped down from the desk and onto the bed. "What exactly have you seen?"

Rei gulped. 'This is no time to lose your nerve. Go on, you must, go on.' "I want to show you." Quietly Rei stood up and strode out of the room.

After a moment or two of sitting in an uneasy silence the rest of the party followed – knowing full well where she had gone. The main room of the temple. Indeed, as they approached it, they could tell that the paper screen door was open and it seemed like it was patiently waiting for them to enter one by one.

Serena was the last one in and she quietly closed the door while the rest of the group went to sit down alongside the farthest wall facing the hearth. She then went and joined them taking a seat next to Darien. He took her hand and gently squeezed it. She gave him a knowing smile and kissed his cheek to ease his worries.

Meanwhile, Rei was fluttering about the room making sure that everything was to her liking but she stopped dead in her tracks in front of the hearth. **"CHAD!"**

A minute later the screen door flew open to reveal a very flustered Chad in its midst. "Yes?"

"Where are the ashes?"

"They should be in their little bag in front of the hearth." He gulped when the priestess's gaze turned even colder. "They're not there?"

"No. I wouldn't be calling for you, would I, if they were." Her voice was ice.

"I'll go and fetch some for you."

"Th—. " Rei was interrupted by someone placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Irritated, she glanced back to see that it was Serena. Knowing what it meant, she ordered herself to breathe for a moment. "It's ok. I can manage. I'm sorry for snapping at you."

Chad gazed suspiciously at her for a few moments and then respectfully bowed to her. "Do you require anything else?"

"No, thank you." She then returned his bow.

Quietly and respectfully Chad then left and shut the screen door behind him.

Once the door was shut, Rei turned to Serena, "I'm ok, really. He just drives me crazy sometimes."

"Just breathe, ok?" With that Serena returned to her seat next to her husband. She rested her head happily on his shoulder and sighed. "I think the coast is clear now."

Rei nodded. "Mars Crystal Power!" In an instant the priestess was surrounded by swirling ribbons of fire and the next standing before them in her sailor uniform. 'You know someday I won't have to transform to do this.'

Quietly Rei walked toward the hearth. Her violet eyes blazed with a fire of their own. She knelt down beside the hearth, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Leaning over she blew into the hearth, almost instantaneously the fire sprang to life. Smiling she went and sat a few feet from the fire. Taking a deep breath she allowed the warmth of the growing fire to envelop her. As always it burned away all the thoughts, worries, and fears that clouded her mind. To her the fire was not a gift or her power but her friend, her sanctuary. And now it beckoned to her. It was ready. Time to begin.

She scooted closer to the hearth and once again closed her eyes. She folded her hands together and began to chant. It was a strange and ancient chant that at times seemed to be not of this world nevertheless, however, the words spilled from her mouth perfectly as if they were her native language. It caused the fire to dance and sway before her.

After about five to ten minutes of this Rei began to pray, "Great Fire, show us the secrets you hide. Show us the great freeze and the creation of Crystal Tokyo. Show us, show us, Great Fire, your wisdom."

The fire grew brighter and shadows began to dance at the edges of the flames.

"Show us your secrets, your wisdom."

Several figures could now be made out but just as quickly as they had formed, they began to fade away back into the shadows.

Calmly Rei took up her chant again causing the fire to grow until its flames licked the ceiling harmlessly. Slowly she opened her eyes and whispered, "Show us."

Again the shadows appeared dancing within the flames – slowly but surely forming the figures that were there before. Tantalizingly bits by tantalizing bit the figures came into focus one by one. It was a group of animals in a forest. Some were playing, some were grazing, and others were drinking from a nearby stream. Then in an instant the stream began to freeze and the animals that were drinking from it were frozen in icy coffins. Frightened the other animals began to run and hide into the heart of the forest. The ice, however, seemed to disapprove and lunged at them with its icy tentacles. One by one it caught them and encased them in ice until everything in its wake was frozen and barren. Still, though, the icy tentacles searched and they seemed to be reaching for the Senshi, even through the flames, thirsty for life.

The images vanished and the fire began to die down. Knowing that there was still much more to be seen, Rei took up her chant once more. The flames grew once more. Its flames again licked the ceiling and its eerie glow rivaled that of the sun. Once the flames were again dancing in time with her words, she whispered, "Show us your wisdom. Show us Crystal Tokyo."

The flames became unusually still at her last command. The shadows that had been agonizingly slow to form any type of image before now sprang to life. In a moment the image of Serena appeared peacefully sleeping in her icy coffin.

Instinctively Darien squeezed his wife's hand as his eyes remained transfixed to her lifeless face nestled amidst the flames.

The crystal began to gleam at her chest, its warmth melting the icy tomb. Once the ice that encased her completely melted her eyelids began to flutter. Then slowly but surely her sapphire eyes opened and she struggled to prop herself up. She allowed her eyes to gaze upon her husband's icy tomb for a moment and then forced herself to stand up. As she surveyed this icy world, a single tear managed to escape and trickled down her cheek, where it turned to ice. Not noticing it she took the still gleaming broach from her chest and revived her husband. She watched his chest rise and fall as he began to breathe. Bending down she kissed his still chilled lips and then left to fulfill her destiny.

As she reawakened the world, she paused only once at a single though massive block of ice. She stared at it as if it confused, frightened, and amused her all at the same time. Then those eerie knowing eyes turned to look at them, purposely, seemingly asking them what she should do. After a few moments she turned back to her icy world and reached out to touch it . . . .

And as her fingers barely grazed the ice, the fire immediately died.

* * *

Meanwhile, someone unbeknownst to the scouts shivered. Chad had seen everything. It wasn't that he had meant to spy, he was just bringing Rei the ashes she needed for the fire reading. He was just about to open the door when he heard Rei shout and he would have but he saw an eerie glow coming from underneath the door. His curiosity got the better of him and instead of racing into the room to see if Rei was all right he simply crouched down and cracked the door just enough to let him see – just in time to see Rei transform into Sailor Mars. His mind was spinning. His Rei, his sweet little Rei, was the beautiful unearthly warrior Sailor Mars. Overwhelmed by all the millions of thoughts and emotions that were running through him, Chad quietly closed the door and began a seemingly endless agonizing walk back to the kitchen.

* * *

Never even glancing at the door, Rei turned to the group. "What do you make of it? It's that last part that that confuses me."

"It's coming soon. I mean you wouldn't be seeing Sere awakening the planet if it wasn't," Mina stated as she started to get up and stretch.

Rei, however, only heard bits and pieces of her friend's reply. There was a sudden ringing noise in her ears, blackness started to form at the outskirts of her vision, and she collapsed.

Mina was the first one to reach her and she pulled her into her lap. "Rei, Rei! Are you ok?"

She could hear their voices calling he name and tried desperately to get to them, to consciousness, but just could not. The darkness came for her.

"Keep trying to get her to wake up. I'm going to get some smelling salts from my car," Amy instructed Mina and then ran out of the room.

"I'm going to go get Chad!" Serena told them as she too ran out of the room.

* * *

She found him sulking at the island. The room was still covered in suds but he was just sitting there with his head in his hands.

"Chad! We need your help. Rei's collapsed. Come on, let's go." She grabbed his hand to help him up but he just jerked it away.

"She's a big girl. She can take care of herself."

"She needs you. Don't you understand that? So get off your high horse and come with me. Please!"

"Yeah right, she needs me like she needs a hole in the head. After all, I'm only the hired help."

"Chad! Stop it! Why are you acting like this? Please come with me. She needs you."

He slammed his fists into the island before him. "Go and ask your Sailor Mars! Now just leave me alone woman!"

Her sapphire eyes flashed with anger. "Fine then you don't deserve her. You're not even worthy to kiss the ground she walks on." With that she turned on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen.

Inwardly he knew she was right – about everything – and he regretted every callous remark he had made to her. He was just hurt. Hurt that the woman he loved hadn't trusted him enough to tell him the biggest secret of her life. True, she didn't know that he loved her but at least she thought of him as a friend and friends trust each other. Damn it, any way you looked at it she should have known that she could trust him. And that's when it hit him – 'I love her. She's hurt. She needs ME. I'm such an idiot.'

Fuming Serena was already at the door to the main room when she heard him yell, "I'm coming!" And then came the sound of his feet pounding against the hard wood floor and before she knew what was happening he nearly bowled her over and flung open the door.

Chad rushed to Rei's side and took the smelling salts from Ami and passed them under her nose. Meanwhile Serena stood shell-shocked in the doorway.

After a few moments Rei regained consciousness. She forced her hand to go to her forehead and tried to sit up but that only made the room spin.

"Hold on a minute. You're just going to hurt yourself." Chad pulled her back and forced her to rest in his arms. Strangely enough for once Rei did not protest.

Meanwhile Mina went over to check on Serena, who was still standing in the door way while everyone else was taking care of Rei. "What's wrong with you?"

"He knows."

"Knows what? Wait, hold on. Who knows what?"

"Chad. He knows that Rei is Sailor Mars."

"What! Did she tell him?"

"No, I think he saw everything just now and let me tell you – he's not taking it well."

"What do you mean? If he wasn't taking it well, why is he over there taking care of her? It looks to me that you're wrong, Sere."

Frustrated Serena began kneading her hands together. "I know. I'm really confused. Just a few minutes ago he was sitting in the kitchen making remarks about being," she made air quotes for emphasis, "'just the hired help' and that Rei was 'a big girl who could take care of herself.' To top it all off he had the audacity to tell me to get lost and called me, **me**, woman! Does that sound like he's taking it well?"

"True but he's here now and that at the very least is a sign of good faith. We both know that they have a crush on each other and the very fact that even though he's upset and was able to cast that aside for her, implies that it's much more than that."

Serena rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I hate it when you are so damn logical. You couldn't just let me be mad him could you?"

Mina laughed. "You know you love me. I do think you have every right to be mad at him. I know how afraid Rei has been about how he would react to the news and his initial reaction to it more than justifies that fear. And I know that no one here wants or will allow, if it can be helped, her heart to be broken. I mean, those were some pretty vindictive and bitter things that he said but actions always did speak louder than words. Don't you think he deserves a chance to redeem himself?"

"I suppose you're right but what do I tell Rei the next time she's frightened by her visions of Crystal Tokyo and what he'll think?"

"You'll tell her what we've always told her – 'If it's meant to be, he'll understand and nothing will change between you.' Let them work it out on their own, Sere. It'll either break them or make them stronger. Trust me." She flipped her ponytail with a quick wave of her hand and winked. "After all I am the Senshi of love."

"Let's get her to her room, so she can get some rest," Darien told the group.

"That's a good idea," Amy nodded in agreement. "Chad, will you carry her?"

In response, Chad gently scooped the priestess in his arms and stood up. Still a bit dazed and groggy, Rei allowed her head to fall limply into the comfort of his chest.

"I'll get the door," Lita jumped up and, for the first time of any of them, noticed Serena and Mina in deep conversation in the doorway. Walking up to them she asked, "Anything wrong?"

"No, not really," Serena folded her arms across her chest. "Don't worry we'll fill you in later."

"No problem. I wasn't worried about that. I can pry anything out of either of you when I really want to, but we're going to move Rei to her room now. Could you please move?"

Mina nodded and stepped out into the hall way out of the way. Lita and Serena followed suit. "How is she?"

"You know Darien and Ami they wouldn't move her unless it was ok."

"I bet they gave her a complete and thorough examination then," Serena teased.

"But of course," Lita giggled.

Just then Chad passed them carrying Rei out of the room and down the hall with Darien, Ami and the two cats in tow. Serena, Mina, and Lita quickly caught up with them.

Darien held open the door for Chad and Ami turned down Rei's bed for her. Then Chad gently set Rei down and tucked her into bed.

"She's going to be ok," Darien wrapped an arm around Serena's waist. "She just needs to get some rest."

"We can talk more later," Amy assured the group. "What's important now is that we let her rest.

"You take good care of her now," Lita ordered Chad. "She's everything to us."

"I know," Chad smiled. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of her, always."

With that final statement Ami ushered everyone out of the room and turned off the light. As she shut the door, she whispered, "Get better Rei. We love you."

* * *

Rei woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and feeling sore all over. Her body felt like lead as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. 'Where am I?' She glanced about the room. 'I'm in my room. How did I get here? I don't remember ever leaving the main room of the temple.' Despite her aching body Rei struggled to sit up. As she stretched she was caught off guard by the sight of Chad sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed fast asleep. 'What's he doing here? Did he sit up all night with me? No, of course not, but then why is he here?'

Determined not to allow her aching body or pounding head ruin her day she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Taking a deep breath she tried to stand up – and she did if not only for a moment. As she tried to walk the room once again began to spin and she fell to the floor beside her bed with a thud.

Chad woke up immediately when he heard the noise. Though he was thoroughly relieved that Rei was awake he was alarmed at the fact that she was still dizzy and did not seem able to walk. He rushed to her side, scooped her up into his arms, and once again tucked her safely in bed. "None of that today. You're going to stay in bed and get some rest. Lay back down and I'll get you some breakfast."

"Chad, that's not necessary. I'm fine, really I am. I just got up a little too fast that's all." To prove it Rei tried to get out of bed again.

"Oh, no you don't. Doctor's orders – you are to stay in bed until further notice. I'll tie you to the bed if I have to, Rei."

Rei's eyes flashed in defiance, "Oh really, I'd like to see you try it."

"Fine," Chad threw up his hands in defeat. "If you hurt yourself, it's your own fault. I'm going to get you some breakfast." With that Chad left her alone with only her thoughts as company.

* * *

In the kitchen, Chad was fuming. 'Who does she think she is talking to me like that? Sailor Mars or not she had no reason or right to be nasty to me.' He paused for a moment as he took a couple of pans out of a cabinet and then slammed them down on the stove. 'Woman, couldn't you let some one take care of you just once! Why do you always have to be so stubborn? No, of course not, Sailor Mars can do anything. She is perfectly capable of taking care of herself – she needs no one.'

Then as he began making breakfast a little voice in the back of his mind kicked in. 'Don't you think that you're being rather hard on her? All she did was respond to your smug remark. Tie her down to the bed, eh? Doesn't that sound like a challenge? Do you think under any circumstances that she would allow that? Let alone allow anyone to speak to her in such a manner and get away with it? You would have said the same thing and you know it. Face it, man, this isn't about what she said to you, this is about what and who she is – Sailor Mars. Whether you like it or not that is who she is and she will always remain so. She will never and would never allow you or anyone change her. The question is – can you deal with that?'

He sighed inwardly knowing that the little voice was right. She was Sailor Mars. Hell, she was practically a goddess. He sighed again as he transferred the scrambled eggs from the hot frying pan to a plate. She was out of his league. He had always known that but now more than ever. Painstakingly he took the bread out of the toaster and began to butter it. He kept trying to put the issue out of his mind but one thought, one question kept nagging him at the back of his mind. Why? Why hadn't she trusted him enough to tell him the biggest secret of her life?

He twirled a Casablanca in his hand, her favorite, her favorite flower. After a moment or two of just staring at it spinning in his hand, he placed it gently in a vase on the tray. 'Maybe it's for the best. Could I really have taken care of her or loved her the way she deserves to be?' He shook his head as he took a plate of eggs and toast and put it on the tray trying to rid his mind of such thoughts. 'No, it's not about that. Maybe it's better if I don't talk to her about this not until I'm really sure about how I feel about all this.' With that final decision, he picked up the tray and began to make his way back to Rei's room.

Once there he gently knocked on the door of her bedroom.

"Come in, Chad!"

He quietly opened the door, "Breakfast is ready." Forcing a smile he motioned to her with the breakfast tray.

Rei propped herself up with the pillows, "Thanks, Chad."

He placed the tray down carefully before her, "Careful, it's very hot."

"Mmm, it looks delicious," Then Rei's face lit up as she noticed the Casablanca. "Chad – a Casablanca! Thank you. You remembered it was my favorite flower – how sweet of you."

Chad sat down beside her on the bed and the twinkle returned to his soft chocolate eyes as he tried hard not to blush, "It was nothing. I just, I mean, I . . . . The laundry room and kitchen are spotless. I finished cleaning up after everyone left. I'd thought you'd want to know."

She smiled and covered one of his hands with her own, "Oh, thank you. I know that you didn't mean to make such a mess."

Chad's gaze fell to the ground remembering the harsh reality of yesterday's events. Biting his lower lip he quickly remembered his place, "Do you require anything else, miko?"

Startled by the formality Rei withdrew her hand and stared him wide eyed for a few moments.

"Miko? Are you ok?"

"Huh? Yes, I'm fine. Did you just call me 'miko'?"

"You are my boss and the priestess of this shrine. You deserve the respect of those . . . "

She cut him off knowing fully well what he meant. "Those who are employed by me and this shrine -- its maidens and caretakers -- who are under my authority."

"Yes, miko."

"I see." Masking the hurt she felt from the harshness of his words she hardened her face, voice . . . and heart. "Very well then, since I cannot attend to my normal duties, you will pick up the slack. In addition to your normal duties you will clean the main room, in which I did my fire reading last night, make sure that it is ready for any future readings, and tend to any visitors and the various shrine maidens and caretakers. Do you understand?"

"Yes, miko."

"My friends will be coming over later to use the yard to brush up on their sparring. Make sure you tend to their needs."

"It will be done."

"Thank you again for breakfast. You may go now."

Nodding he quickly stood up and went to the door. He hesitated to leave, however, and turned back to face the priestess. "As you wish, it will all be taken care of. Take care." With that he took his leave of the room and gently shut the door behind him.

Afterwards she sat there and quietly ate the breakfast he had made for her. When she was through she took the vase, placed it gently on her nightstand, and put the rest of the tray down on the floor at the foot of her bed.

Then pulling the covers over her head Rei buried her face in a pillow and let the tears fall freely from her eyes. Her proud heart tried desperately to make them stop but they just would not. And just as all those tears were lulling her to sleep she could've sworn that she felt two strong arms pull her close.

* * *

_Rei stretched in bed and began to rub the sleep out of her eyes. It was then that she heard the door open and close with a quiet click. _

_He stood there a moment soaking in every detail of her. The way her long dark locks pooled around her and the way she was able to steal his breath away every time. "Glad to see you're finally awake. You gave us a real scare last night."_

_Sitting up Rei drank in every detail of his face as he walked toward the four poster mahogany king sized bed. His short blonde hair was tousled as always and the twinkle in his clear blue eyes told her that he was genuinely relieved to see her awake. Raising an eyebrow at him, she teased, "Like you ever had any doubt?" Her hand flew to her forehead and she mockingly fell back into bed. "Really, Jed, I'm hurt."_

_He sat down on the bed beside her. Smiling he smoothed the navy silk sheets. "Sit up, Raven. You gave us all a scare. I'm not exactly accustomed to seeing my wife pass out in the middle of a fire reading." He kissed her gently on the tip of her nose. "You nearly fell into the fire and Sailor Mars or not you're not exactly flame retardant."_

_She crossed her arms and pouted at his smug remark. "Hey, you don't know that for sure."_

_Chuckling Jed sidled up to her and took her into his arms. "I'd rather not find out. Anyways Ami checked you out and sorry kiddo, you're on bed rest today."_

_"What! Jed, I'm fine."_

_"No, I'm not arguing with you about this. I'm not willing to let you jeopardize your health. I'll tie you down to this bed if I have to, Raven."_

_Smirking at his challenge, Rei taunted, "Oh really? I'd like to see you try."_

_Grinning mischievously Jed decided to call her bluff, "Fine then, I think I will." Then he started to tickle her mercilessly._

_Squealing Rei tried to get away, "No fair, you're not ticklish."_

_"Not my fault that you have two weaknesses – me and being ticklish. I just like to exploit them."_

_"Fine, I give! Just please stop!"_

_"Nope, gotta promise first, Raven."_

_"Ok, ok, I promise."_

_"To?"_

_"I promise to stay in bed all day."_

_"Good," Jed scooped her up into his arms. "You know I love you, Rei. Tell you what I'll bring you some Casablancas later._

_Her eyes lit up, "Really?"_

_"Really. I've got to go help Kunzite inspect the troops. I'll be back to check on you a little later. I love you, Firebird."_

_"What did you call me?"_

_"'Firebird' – I like it better than 'Raven,' don't you?" Then he passionately kissed her for what seemed like ages._

_As he got up to leave she caught his hand, "Jed."_

_He smiled as he looked down at her knowing what she was going to say._

_"I love you." _

* * *

Meanwhile, Chad had come to take away her breakfast tray and check on her. Standing in the doorway for a few minutes Chad admired the sleeping priestess. Hungrily his eyes drank in every detail from the way her long black hair cascaded around her to the gentle rhythm of her breathing. 'An angel,' he firmly decided, 'she looks like an angel.'

Then forcing himself out of his revelry he went to pick up the tray from the foot of her bed and that's when he heard it.

"Jed," she murmured, still fast asleep.

Standing back up, praying that he had misheard her Chad moved to the head of the bed to make sure that she was still asleep.

"I love you."

* * *

Later . . .

"Knock, knock," Ami popped her head into Rei's room to check on her.

"Hmm," Rei moaned. "Ami? Is that you?" she asked groggily as she began to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"Yea, sweetie, it's me. Shh, go back to sleep. We'll check back on you after the training session, ok?" She gently squeezed her hand and then left the priestess to her dreams.

Meanwhile, the others were waiting, a bit impatiently, in the yard for Ami anxious to hear how their friend was doing. Taking turns pacing they waited in an uneasy silence.

It was not Ami, however, that broke their silence. It was Serena as she let out a heart wrenching sigh. "Do you think she's all right?"

Smiling Darien took her hand to comfort her. "She's going to be fine. She just needs a little rest, you'll see. The fire reading took a lot out of her. Don't worry, Sere, we'll have our little spitfire back by tomorrow."

Knowing that just standing around and pacing wasn't doing them or Rei any good, Mina ordered, "Let's start warming up that way when Ami gets back we can start the training session sooner. She should be back any minute now."

The others nodded in agreement knowing that it would do them all some good to get their minds off it for a few minutes.

Mina, however, was still worried about Rei and opted to reopen the topic once she was thoroughly satisfied that everyone was stretching. "Why do you think that this particular fire reading took so much out of her? She's done it a million times and never collapsed before."

Lita stopped stretching to tighten her ponytail and chimed in, "Maybe it was the content and the intensity of the reading that did it. Those were some pretty mind blowing images, after all." Resuming her stretches, she continued, "I mean did you see the way Serenity looked at us? We all knew or at the very least suspected that the fire reading drained Rei, at least a little, every time. I know I did."

"You're right, Lita, we did know," Ami answered as she strolled into the yard. "But we never knew that it could drain her to the point of collapsing. Anyways," Ami paused glancing at their worried faces. "Rei's going to be just fine. She's sleeping peacefully right now. That's what she needs the most. We'll check on her after we're through here." She smiled as she watched them all quietly sigh knowing that they were thoroughly relieved to hear the good news."

"Good, I'm sure we're all glad to hear that," Mina told the blue haired genius. "In light of the images we saw last night the sooner we start this training session the better. So, Ami, you get warmed up and we'll get started." She motioned them to continue. "Ok, for the first match it's going by rank. So that means – Sere versus Darien and Lita versus Ami. Seeing that my usual partner is unavailable, I'll . . . ."

"What do you mean 'unavailable?'" a voice coming from the yard entrance cut her off. "Bring it on, Mina."

It was Rei. Her long midnight black hair was tied up in a bun and she was dressed in her usual work out clothes – a tank top and shorts.

The minute they saw her, the entire group ran to her, nearly bowling her over, and hugged her – grateful and thoroughly relieved that she was all right. After this initial reaction, however, came the tirade of scolds and questions.

Rei threw up her hands in defense – enough. "Guys, I'm fine. I know that I scared you and I'm sorry. I'll admit that I was still a bit out of it earlier but with a little sleep I'm as good as new. I'm not going to miss this training session, so just give it up."

The group gave a collective sigh knowing that there was no use in arguing with her and then resumed their stretches.

After a few more minutes of this Mina stopped and stood up. "Ok, that's enough for now. Good job. Rei, stretch some more and we'll start our match as soon as you're ready. Everyone else, take your places and begin. Remember same rules as always apply – first one flat on their back loses – and two rounds with everybody. You heard what Sere said yesterday."

And so one by one the pairs began and the training session got well under way.

* * *

After the long and exhausting training session, Rei went and collapsed on her bed. She felt drained physically, emotionally, and mentally. But even then those icy blue eyes haunted her every moment. Maybe the others had been right earlier, she needed to rest.

And it had not gone unnoticed.

Rest? Rest meant meditation or even sleep but the thought of that now frightened her. She wasn't even sure that if she did muster up the courage to meditate that she would be able to focus. It was so unlike her to be unglued or afraid and that scared her even more. What if the dream came back or worse if she had more dreams similar to it? Damn, why did everything have to be so confusing?

While the others had all gone home to shower and get some much deserved sleep, Mina had hung back and now gently knocked at Rei's door.

"I'm fine, Chad! Go away and let me sleep," Rei barked through the door.

Popping her head in, Mina smiled sweetly at the priestess. "Sorry, it's just me. Do you mind?"

"Hmm?" Rei turned and glanced at the door. "Mina, yea, sure, come in. Sorry, I thought you were Chad."

The golden haired angel smiled mischievously as she let herself in. "I know. I heard, remember? Are you sure that you weren't just hoping that it was him, eh?"

Rei threw one of her pillows at Mina in response. "Shut up!"

Her sapphire eyes sparkled with laughter as Mina climbed into bed with Rei. Folding her arms behind her head she stared up at the ceiling and the sparkle faded. "You know he has a crush on you. He took care of you, didn't he?"

Rei laid back and stared sadly at the ceiling. "Because I'm his boss. He made that perfectly clear. I don't think he even wants to be friends anymore. But then again he could've just been having a bad day or in a bad mood." She shrugged trying to convince Mina, and herself, that she didn't care.

"Is everything ok?"

Rei forced a smile as her eyes studied the contours of the ceiling. "Yes of course. Why do you ask?"

"You seemed distracted during the training session. You missed key moments which could've won you the match several times, which you never do unless something's bothering you."

Rei shifted uneasily and turned to face the wall inwardly cursing the fact that Mina was able to read her like a book. "I'm fine, Mina." She bit her lower lip – knowing that she had just blatantly lied to one of her best friends.

"Ok," Mina conceded, knowing that pressing the issue would be of no use so she opted to change her tactics. "You know there's something I haven't told you. I haven't told anyone."

Still facing the wall Rei shut her violet eyes tight. "Yea?"

"Yea. You dreamt of him, didn't you?"

Rei shot up and carefully studied her friend's face wondering how she could have possibly known.

Mina gave her a sad smile knowing all too well the questions that were flying through her friend's mind. "I know because I dream of him every night. I stopped trying to block them out years ago. They chilled my blood, heart, and soul with the knowledge that the man in my dreams, my past, was the same man that had betrayed and -- " She stopped just short of breaking the unspoken rule of the Inner Senshi, never to speak of their deaths. Then taking a deep breath she opted to plunge on and tell her friend everything that she needed to hear whether she liked it or not. "But that was then and now they warm my heart. They're not memories of the betrayal or of our . . . but of a time where I wasn't lonely, of a time where I truly felt like I belonged. Not that I don't love any of you, it's just that . . ." The words were sticking in Mina's throat now as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes. "I loved him. He was my soul mate." Mina forced herself to sit up and took Rei's face into her hands. Then looking her straight in the eye she told her the one thing that Rei was dreading the most. "Just like Jadeite was yours."

Rei tried to break out of Mina's grasp and look away. 'No, no she's wrong. He didn't . . . . He wasn't . . . .' She just didn't want to hear what she knew was all too true but Mina refused to let her go.

"You have to face it. It'll eat you alive if you don't. You can't bottle it in forever . . . . You don't want to lose your humanity. You love him. You'll love him forever. He's a part of you." The tears now flowed freely down her cheeks. "Just like I'll always love Kunzite. The same is true for Ami and Lita. There's no use in hiding from it anymore."

Trying desperately to regain her composure Rei murmured, "Then are we cursed? Cursed to be alone forever?"

"No, of course not. You'll see we'll all find happiness." 'Eventually.' "And we'll always have each other." Then as she took Rei into the comfort of her arms a single tear managed to escape from the confines of the Fire Senshi's eyes and quietly trickled down her cheek.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Just a couple of things to comment on in this chapter.

First, think of this as a blend between the anime and manga. I've stuck to the English names because I'm not very familiar with the Japanese language. Just a safety precaution.

Second, on Rei's character, if you haven't read the manga she may seem out of character. But frankly I refuse to depict her as the anime does. In the manga, she's much more calm, graceful, beautiful person.

And lastly, yes this is a creation of Crystal Tokyo fic. So stay tuned and don't forget to review. .


	2. Chapter 2

**Stone Ashes**

Chapter 2

**by - DreamHeart (a.k.a. - smileybecka)**

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT OWN Sailor Moon or any of its characters, BUT I DO OWN the story. Remember plagiarism is bad, and I will hunt you down. .

* * *

_Lita was in the palace kitchen cooking up a storm when he walked in._

_'He looks good enough to eat,' she decided as she allowed her emerald eyes to give him a complete once over. He was dressed in his usual uniform – grey slacks and high collar button down jacket with the gray flap pinned down at the collar with his rank insignia all trimmed with gold. His soft long auburn tresses hugged his shoulders – and oh, those chocolate eyes. Those were definitely her favorite feature._

_Those eyes danced with amusement now. Spreading his arms out, he turned completely around giving her a better view._

_'Maybe his eyes weren't her favorite feature after all . . . ' she inwardly mused._

_"Do you approve?"_

_Lita felt her face flush at the comment knowing that he had caught her once again staring. Her eyes instantly fell downward and she turned away trying desperately to pretend to be carefully studying a recipe._

_He laughed then. It was like music to her ears, like she had just tasted sweet ambrosia. It was intoxicating._

_She heard his quiet footsteps as he approached her. She felt two strong hands find their way to her shoulders as he peeked over them to see what she was doing. She could almost see the mischievous twinkle forming in those dark eyes as he realized that she wasn't really doing anything at all. Then those same two strong hands turned to velvet as they began to massage her shoulders._

_Then those sweet mind numbing kisses came starting at her ear and trailing down to her collar bone and back. When his lips found her ear once more he breathed, "Why do insist on keeping your hair up?" Turning her around to kiss those sweet tender lips that were swollen in anticipation he gently let her thick brown hair down and allowed his fingers to run through it aimlessly. "I love your hair, your eyes . . . everything."_

_"Mmm," she murmured as she pulled him back into a kiss. A moment later, however, she shook her head and her heart out of the dizzying trance that he always managed to put her in with his kisses and she pushed him away. "Neph, stop it! I have things to do! Besides you ruined the surprise!"_

_Mischievously Nephrite feigned a hurt look. "Things better than kissing me? You. . . you don't want me?"_

_"Oh, stop it, you big oaf. I was making the deserts for the party tonight – one of your favorites.'"_

_His eyes lit up. "Cheesecake?"_

_She chuckled lightly at his reaction. "Yup, a big strawberry cheesecake."_

_His eyes drifted to the bowl she had been stirring when he had come in. "Is that the batter?" He licked his lips hopefully._

_"Oh, no you don't." She snatched the bowl away before he had a chance to make a lunge for it. "The last time you asked for a taste you ended up eating the whole thing. And as I recall you got deadly ill afterwards!"_

_Putting out his lower lip he looked at her with puppy dog eyes. "Please, Firefly?" He dropped the pet name praying that it would break that iron will of hers that she was famous for. "Just a little taste?"_

_Then grabbing a wooden spoon off of the counter she gave him a don't-mess-with-me look. "No! You'll get to eat it later at the engagement ball and that should be enough! Now scoot!" She swatted his rear with the spoon._

_"Hey!"_

_She shook the spoon at him and Nephrite knew that she was more than prepared to chase him all over that kitchen if it meant that he wouldn't get at the batter. "Ok, ok, I'll go and only because I love you so much, Firefly." He stopped in the doorway and threw her a seductive grin. "I'll get you for this later, love. Make sure it's mouthwatering or you'll be the one getting the spanking later."_

_Then just as he was ducking out of the room with that final comment just barely avoiding the oven mitt that she had hurled at him everything started to spin until the next thing she knew was that . . . ._

* * *

_He was striding towards her now with his comrades barely noticing the fighting going on all around them. His long auburn hair flew wildly around him and his usually brown eyes held an elusive tinge of red._

_Lita, however, did not notice this and even if she had she probably wouldn't have cared. All that mattered was that he was safe. They were all safe. She had feared the worst when they were ordered to return to Earth – to make one final stand against Beryl and the Dark Kingdom. She had begged him not to go and he had promised to return. But that was then and now it seemed as if there was nothing to have been afraid of after all. He was safe. He was safe and they were coming to help them in their hour of need._

_She smiled warmly at him, her emerald eyes reflecting all her love and gratitude. She would have run to him then if she had had the chance but as fate would have it she was busy fighting one of the Dark Kingdom's minions. Then just as she plunged her sword into its heart she saw Artemis, out of the corner of her eye, running toward the generals seemingly to direct them to where their aid was most needed. But as he approached them the general closest to him, Nephrite, threw his razor sharp throwing stars at him. Stunned Artemis looked down at his chest to find that the stars had pierced his armor and his scarlet blood was now running freely. He fell and looked up at him. His eyes were full of confusion, hurt, anger, and betrayal. His attacker, however, merely gave an evil snicker and continued on his path towards her._

_She just stood there shell shocked while the war continued to rage all around her. It was then and only then that she truly realized that her worst nightmares had come to life. He had come back to her – just like he had promised. He had come back to claim her life. It was clear as day in as she looked tearfully into the depths of his eyes. They say that they eyes are the windows to the soul – but all she saw now was hate. He drew his sword now. There was no trace of the love, kindness, and joy that had resided there once. When had everything changed? He was barely ten feet away. She gulped and before she knew what was happening he was upon her._

_And oh God she fought. She fought the unmistakable urge to take him into her arms and shake some sense into him. She fought the urge to just fall to her knees crying out her heart and soul screaming the one question she desperately needed to be answered. Why? Why had he betrayed her? Why had he turned his back on everything – his best friend, his home, their love, hopes, and dreams? It was killing her and still she fought on. It was her duty. It was still HER duty, damn it, to protect the princess, the alliance, and now the prince._

_Her planet, her home, Jupiter, had been destroyed along with her parents and their people. Her civilization had been steamrolled. She had known that the Outer Planets had received a similar fate at the beginning of this war but she had never even fathomed the fact that it could happen to her home. The planets of the rest of the Inner Senshi had received the same fates. Queen Serenity had told them of this, just moments before the attack. She had thought that alone was enough to kill her. What a fool she had been! And now as she stared into those cool chocolate eyes once more she knew. Somehow she knew that it was his hand, and his hand alone, that had brought her planet to its knees. And once again she fought the urge to fall to her knees and scream or even to just throw up. It was him. After everything . . . it disgusted her._

_Blood, sweat, and tears caused her eyes to burn. She was growing tired, weary from battle. While he, on the other hand, was fresh for the fight._

_"What's wrong, Firefly?" He dropped the pet name now just to watch her squirm. 'Is that fear I smell?' Sneering he kicked her legs out from under her._

_'Firefly.' She heard his words, their conversation from long ago clear as day in her mind. She fell flat on her back knocking the wind out of her._

_'What's a firefly?'_

_His sword came down hard to strike the final blow. Surprising even herself Lita miraculously found the strength to block the deadly blow with her own sword._

_'It's an insect native to Earth. They come out on hot summer nights and dance in the sky. What makes them so special is that they glow. Sometimes people even mistake them for stars. I used to catch them in a jar – my own personal night light. Do you know what I noticed?'_

_He grinned evilly at the situation at hand, his sword just centimeters from her neck. He kissed her hard on the mouth. "Goodbye, Firefly." 'They were brightest just moment before their deaths.'_

_'Why am I a firefly?'_

_'Because you are my own special star shining brightly in the sky guiding me and comforting me as the fireflies of my youth.' Then he with a quick move of his sword he slit her open from her groin all the way up to the base of her throat._

_She gasped as she felt the life draining from her body. The returning her gaze to her love, husband, and murderer a thought struck her – 'They were brightest just moments before their deaths.' She knew in that instant what she had to do. Ironic wasn't it that the man who had just sealed her death was now idly playing with her air and gently stroking her jaw line? That was his final mistake. Summoning what was left of her life force she managed summon a huge lightning bolt and send it hurdling towards his skull._

_'Goodbye, my love,' taking her last breath she found solace in the fact that she had not gone down without a fight and at the exact moment he turned just in time to see his own death._

_"I love you, Lita, my firefly."_

* * *

Lita woke up in a cold sweat. Bolting upright her knuckles burned white as she clutched the sheet to her chest. Almost hyperventilating with fear her emerald eyes darted about the room in terror searching for him. When she was absolutely sure that Nephrite was not in her room her breathing began to slow down a bit and the tears began to flow down her cheeks in waves.

Why? She didn't understand why. Why after so many years after the defeat of the Dark Kingdom was she having these dreams? No, that wasn't it. She had dreamt of him before but never like that. She had never relived her death, a death at his hands. Of course, she had known. Luna had made sure of that. But there was a difference, a significant difference, between merely knowing that you had been killed at your lover's hand and experiencing it. Why? Why had he turned? Why had he betrayed her? Why?

These questions and a million more plagued her fragile state of mind. Sobbing almost hysterically now she grabbed her pillow and clung to it for dear life as she curled into the fetal position. Why? Why could she still feel his hot breath on the back of her neck? And why did those last bittersweet words seem to linger in the air?

"'_I love you, Lita, my firefly."_

Her cries now racked her body, depriving it of much needed oxygen at times, as uncontrollable as the tides.

"Why!" she screamed into the pillow. She had given everything to him – her love, her heart, her very soul. Why had that not been enough? What had she done to make him hate her? To make him betray even himself? 'Please, God, someone just tell me why!'

* * *

Meanwhile . . .

Rei was gulping down her fourth cup of coffee that night. It had become her nightly ritual these past few weeks. Three weeks to be exact since that conversation with Mina. Cringing at its bitter aftertaste she told herself that it was all for the best. Sure sleeping in fifteen minute intervals for barely two hours a night was for the birds but it was better than the alternative.

Setting the mug down on the island she decided to go outside for a bit. Walking out into the crisp cool night air she hugged her robe around her small frame tightly. This, however, did not prevent a shiver from running down her spine. But then again she could have been standing in the heart of an active volcano and it would have come nonetheless. It wasn't the cold that bothered her. It was those steel blue eyes that haunted her.

In the distance Phobos and Deimos cawed cheerfully as they spotted her. Rei smiled then despite herself. They were always a comfort to her. But she wasn't quite sure, as Phobos lightly landed on her shoulder, that they could be of any help to her now – no one could. True the other Senshi, for sure Mina at least, were probably experiencing similar dreams and emotions but there are some demons that each of us must face alone.

She smiled at the irony of it all. Mina, Minako, the Senshi of Love, was always the one to face every challenge and ordeal alone. Masking her emotions and every thought from the world was her way. That's how she preferred it. Now she wanted to face these memories, these demons, together – or was she just trying to help her through these dark times? Rei couldn't be sure, but that didn't change the fact that she wanted nothing more than to face this alone or rather not face it at all. It was so out of character for the Fire Senshi – passionate, vivacious, ruled by her emotions. When had they changed places?

Oh, yes, everything had changed when she had allowed one man into her heart well over a century ago. She may not have yet, thank the gods, relived their last encounter or bear the physical scars of that day but that by no means meant that her heart did not. Nor did it mean that in this lifetime that it had not incurred new scars either. Yes a part of her knew the truth of Mina's words but another part of her did not want nor believed that she could handle this.

Yes, she was strong. Yes, she had been able to deal with anything and everything this life had dealt her – her mother's death, her father's abandonment, Kaidou's rejection, and even her grandfather's death. It had all left a mark upon her heart and in the process hardened her. But despite all of that she had found the strength to allow Chad in and now it seemed that their relationship would end in rejection – just like Kaidou.

Deimos squawked then at her feet forcing Rei out of her silent revelries. Bending down she offered her hand as a perch and once Deimos was happily upon it she straightened. Glancing at a window across the yard she unknowingly stared straight into pair of deep brown eyes that had been watching her the entire time. Not giving the window a second thought she began to absently stroke Deimos' feathers as she stared up into the night sky.

* * *

Chad gave a sigh of relief as he watched Rei walk back inside. She had not caught him watching her – but he had been watching her midnight strolls for three weeks now from the comfort of his bedroom window.

Falling back into his pillows he wondered if he was being too hard on her. Since he had learned her secret he had taken every opportunity to distance himself from her, only being around her when it was absolutely necessary, and even then he was cold and callous to her. She didn't deserve that.

But then the memories of those two days came flooding back to him. She hadn't trusted him. She had whispered someone else's name in her sleep. She loved someone else. How was he supposed to deal with all that? Was he supposed to pretend it never happened? No, he couldn't do that but then again he couldn't go on treating her so badly. 'What am I going to do?'

Then the little voice in the back of his mind voiced the one option he'd been dreading these past three weeks. 'Leave. Go home and never look back.' He knew of course that it was really his only option but it still pained him. It wasn't the fact that he would have to swallow his pride and face his parents that he dreaded. After all home was home and after all their squabbles and misgivings his parents would gladly welcome him home with open arms. It was saying goodbye to Rei. She wouldn't show any emotion to him when the time came. It would be out of character for her if she did but he feared all the thoughts and emotions that he WANTED to reside behind her piercing violet eyes, her emotionless mask.

It was the kindest decision he could make for both of them. He couldn't go on mistreating her when she was unaware of her sins and he couldn't go on loving her from such an agonizing distance. Not when he knew she loved someone else, knowing that it was not his touch that she longed for or that it was not his name that she whispered in her sleep. No, he could not go on like that. It was decided then. 'I'll leave in the morning.'

* * *

Dawn came sooner than Chad would have liked but as the golden rays came softly into the room his resolve was only strengthened. He would leave today, this very morning.

As he began to pack his few meager belongings into his backpack, he paused only once. Holding a simple frame in his hands he debated whether or not to leave it behind. It reminded him of a simpler happier time; of a time when he truly believed that he had found his place in the sun. It was just a picture. He gently traced two of the three smiling faces that stared up at him – Grandpa and Rei. He loved them both.

It had nearly killed him when her grandfather had died, but at least he had gotten to say goodbye. That's what Rei had prayed for in the weeks after – just a simple wish, to say goodbye to the man who had taken her in, taught her everything she knew, and had been the only father she had ever known. She did not know, of course, that he had heard her pleading with gods before the Great Fire for some sort of sign that he knew how much she loved him and would miss him. She had been at school when he had the massive stroke. He died in Chad's arms as he waited for the paramedics. It had broken his heart to tell her, to watch her perform the funeral, to witness her secret pain and all the while not seeing her shed a tear. He suspected that it had hardened her and it was the reason he couldn't leave her without saying goodbye.

Sighing he hugged the frame tightly to his chest knowing that he could not leave such a valuable keepsake behind. With that decided he gently placed it amongst his other things and resumed his packing.

Once he was finished he made sure that everything in his room was in order, especially the two things that he had left for Rei on his pillow, before shouldering his backpack and heading of to the kitchen. Tossing his bag into his usual chair he started making breakfast for the still sleeping priestess and readied himself for the storm to come.

She would be waking up soon so he would have to hurry. No, it wasn't that he was going to leave without saying a word, it was just that he couldn't' bear to see her, to be in her presence, for a moment longer than was absolutely necessary.

It was not a second later that he heard her smile from the doorway. "Good morning, Chad."

"Good morning, miko," he replied without so much as glancing at the door. But if he had he would have seen the hurt in her eyes. It had only resided there for the briefest of moments, but the fact was that it was still there.

Taking a seat at the island Rei noticed the bag occupying his usual seat. "Are you going somewhere?"

He turned then for a moment and glanced at the backpack. Returning to his cooking, he answered, "Yes, I'm leaving today. I left you a gift in my chambers. It's my way of thanking you for all of your hospitality."

"And this is your way of saying goodbye? You're not even going to stay for breakfast, are you?" Rei bit her lower lip trying hard to keep both her anger and hurt from revealing themselves in her voice and eyes.

"Yes, miko, this is goodbye. I thought this way would be less painful. Do not mistake it for ungratefulness or even callousness." He set a plate down before her and reached for his bag. "But this is the way it must be. Goodbye, miko." With that he hurried out of the temple.

He was almost at the bottom of the enormous staircase that separated the shrine from the rest of the world when he heard her shout his name.

"Chad!"

Turning he saw her standing at the top of the stairs like goddess. A sudden breeze swept through her long ebony hair making it dance wildly about her. Her striking violet eyes blazed with a fire of their own. The rising sun played upon her alabaster skin giving it an unearthly glow, all while Phobos and Deimos protectively circled her high in the sky.

"If you leave now, don't bother coming back!"

He could feel the hot tears beginning to well up in his eyes. Turning he ran down the remaining stairs, away from the temple, and away from her, as fast as his legs could carry him.

As she watched him run out of her life Rei had a good mind to chase him down and beat some sense into him – or at the very least to just beat him. But she knew deep down inside that she wouldn't, that she couldn't.

Turning back to the comfort of the shrine she allowed her feet to take her wherever they pleased as immersed herself in her thoughts until she found herself seated on the bed in his room, his old room.

Nestled on the pillow was a bouquet of Casablancas and next to it was a small square box wrapped in marble paper with a gold ribbon. Ignoring the flowers for the moment she reached for the box. Holding it for a few minutes in her lap she gingerly played with the ribbon. Then biting her lower lip in both thought and curiosity she freed the ribbon and began to carefully unwrap the box. That accomplished she held her breath as she removed its lid and nestled there in rich black velvet was an oval gold locket with a ruby heart at its center. Removing the necklace from the confines of the box she opened it. There were three panels and in them Chad had placed a picture – one of himself, her grandfather, and her mother.

It was only then that she allowed a single tear to run freely down her cheek as she traced the faces of those she loved – and lost. Lost, yes it seemed that she had finally lost Chad. She had finally driven him away. He had made that perfectly clear this morning at breakfast and again when he ran from the shrine, when he ran from her. Clutching the locket to chest her gaze fell upon the long forgotten Casablancas and the card that was nestled in their midst. Gently closing the locket, she reached for the card and began to read his final goodbye.

_Rei,_

_Words could never express to you my gratitude for all of you hospitality. I know that my behavior these past three weeks and sudden departure this morning do no reflect such a sentiment – but believe me, I am eternally grateful. My leaving was for the best. _

_Despite this, I need to apologize for the way I have treated you. I was hurt but that by no means excuses my behavior. I know that you're probably wondering why I was hurt but I cannot and will not tell you that. It's between me and Sailor Mars._

_Please don't worry about me. I'm going home, back to my parents, my inheritance, and all the responsibilities that come with it. Know that I have treasured every moment I spent at the shrine and will always hold it close to my heart. Take care, dear miko._

_Chad Kumada _

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Heartbreaking, I know. But it's all very important. Things start to pick up in chapter 3, I promise. Don't forget to review! 


	3. Chapter 3

**Stone Ashes**

Chapter 3

**by - DreamHeart (a.k.a. - smileybecka)**

**AN –** Hey, ya'll! Hope you enjoyed the holidays. This chapter and the majority of the first two were edited/beta'd for me by Princess Serenity Usagi Chiba. Unfortunately she won't be able to edit for me all the time, so I'm in the market for a new editor/beta. Someone who can catch my mistakes and let me bounce ideas off of them. If you're interested feel free to email me or PM me at ASMR (smileybecka) or the forums at princessserenityDOTnet. Thanks!

On another note, 'A Fallen Rose' just won third place in Best FanFiction of the Year at in their Annual People's Choice Awards .

**DISCLAIMER – I DO NOT OWN Sailor Moon or any of its characters BUT I DO OWN the story. Remember plagiarism is bad!**

* * *

Ami was unusually tired today. For some reason she just couldn't manage to fall asleep and stay asleep lately. Just when she entered her R.E.M. cycle she would suddenly wake up. It was as if a part of her didn't want to dream.

It was definitely peculiar – and it was what forced her to drag herself up the one hundred steps of the shrine. Inwardly she cursed the architect as she passed under the torri; however, her complaint became a thing of the past when she suddenly felt like a burden had been lifted off her shoulders – at least for the time being. They say that the torri is the gateway between the worlds – the spiritual and mortal. She sighed. She was bewildered, for once in her life, and that scared her most of all.

'I've got to stop this. No more worries, Ames. Relax. Your friends are here.' She slid open the rice paper screen door to Rei's room to find that everyone was already the, even Serena. She smiled to herself at that fact. Serena was truly becoming a princess. 'No,' she corrected herself, 'a queen.'

"Ami! You've got to try this strawberry cheesecake that Lita brought. It's to die for!" Serena squealed as she popped another forkful of cake into her mouth.

Some things never change.

Lita smirked at the comment. "You sure do know how to flatter a girl, Sere."

It was then that Ami noticed her friend's haggard appearance. Something was definitely wrong. There were dark circles under Lita's eyes that were prominent even through the obvious lengths the girl had gone through to conceal them. Her normally neat ponytail was absent; instead Lita's wavy chestnut brown hair was left cascading down her back. There was also that habit of hers – kneading her hands together or cracking her knuckles – which she only did when she was agitated or nervous.

But she was not allowed to continue on with her train of thought as Mina's bell like voice pierced through her thoughts.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

"Yes, of course," Luna answered. She shook her head lightly in Serena's direction. The girl had taken such charge of things at the last meeting. It had made her want to burst her buttons with pride, but now Serena seemed content just to eat her cake and listen to the proceedings. Luna would have to take charge. "It's been almost a month since the fire reading and there has been no indication of an attack or of the Freeze. The fire, as we know from experience, is never wrong."

"We must remain vigilant with the training regardless. Venus, report," Artemis ordered.

Straightening immediately at the sound of her name, Mina began, "The training sessions have been going quite well. Lately we have been primarily focused on honing our hand-to-hand combat skills and everyone is showing improvement. Though I would like to continue working on these skills I do not wish that we devote the entire session to them any longer. It was necessary to have such intense training sessions before because we were irony, but I believe . . . ."

"It's 'rusty,' Venus," Artemis interjected. "Please continue."

"Yes, of course, rusty. Now as I was saying, I believe that it would better serve us to practice using our powers. Serenity and Endymion need to learn to better control their crystals and the Senshi need to increase our power levels if we are to protect and serve them to the best of our abilities in the future."

"Well said, Minako. Do as you see fit," Artemis smiled. He had trained her well. His little Minako, Mina for short, but he just never could seem to break himself of the habit of calling her by her rightful name, the name she was given at birth on Venus. True, she still had her flakey moments but that couldn't be helped. It was just her personality and he wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Serena?" Luna called bringing her charge out of her sugar daze. "Do you have anything to add? Any new business?"

Putting down her fork, Serena looked to Darien and then to the Senshi for any suggestions. "None that I can think of at the moment. Do any of you?"

'It's now or never.' Taking a deep breath Lita forced the words to come out of her mouth. "I have some new business, but before I begin I ask that there be no interruptions. This is going to be hard enough as it is."

"We'll save our questions to the end," Rei promised.

Six nodding heads in agreement eased the tension in her chest a bit.

"Ok, I've been having some rather 'strange' and 'disturbing dreams this past week." Taking a deep breath she plunged on, "I've been dreaming of the Silver Millennium and of Nephrite. I never even met him until that day, the day I learned that I was Jupiter and I'm dreaming about him. But these dreams aren't like any of the others we've ever had. They're so vivid, it's frightening. I can almost hear his voice long after I've woken up." 'Not to mention feeling his hot breath on the back of my neck or his strong arms encircling my waist.' "It's almost as if he were there, but he's dead. I killed him. He's long since dead. And what haunts me the most is the fact that I'm reliving my death during the Silver Millennium, a death that occurred at his hands. He slit me open all the way from my groin to the base of my throat and then as I lay dying he gently traces my jaw line and breathes in the fragrance if my hair. And with my last bit of life coursing through my veins I hurled a lightening bolt straight at his head. It's those last words that cut me deeper than any sword ever could – 'I love you, Lita, my firefly.'" She was openly trembling now though she didn't notice it. Nor did she notice when Serena and Ami each put an arm around her for support, she just plowed on because if Lita stopped now she wouldn't be able to talk about it again for awhile. "I don't understand why! The dreams that come before and after this horrible grisly scene are of a much gentler kinder man who loved me. And I can't help but feel like a fool for loving him too. But why, why after so many years? Why now? Whose sick twisted game is it to torture me this way?"

Dabbing away the tears that were freely flowing down Lita's cheeks, Serena whispered, "Are the rest of you having similar dreams?"

Silence was the response she was given.

It seemed to last for a lifetime.

Sitting there stone-faced Rei was inwardly screaming. No, this couldn't be happening. How could Serena be asking them to face these demons together? They had each loved a general of Earth, each been betrayed, and each killed at their lover's hands. No, she could not, would not, face this. But as her mulberry eyes once again came to rest on Lita's crumbling form a knot formed in her chest. Guilt. She was ashamed of her selfishness and suddenly realized the strength it must have taken Mina to even talk to her about it.

"I have," Mina and Rei confessed in unison.

Looking to Rei, Mina smiled. It seemed that the priestess had taken the first step in accepting their past – all for the sake of a friend. She was proud of her. She had come a long way since their conversation weeks ago and Mina now wondered if Rei's hesitance was because she too had relived her death. "I have not relived my death, though Artemis told me a long time ago how it happened. After I killed Zoisite he charged at me enraged and ran me through with his sword but in the process he impaled himself on mine."

Suddenly the room began to spin around Ami . . .

'Zoisite . . . .'

. . . .And Ami passed out.

* * *

"_Ami!"_

"_Ami!"_

_There was a flash of reddish blonde hair. And then in a moment he stood before her. His long strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail tied with a blue ribbon but a few stray strands framed his face. With the sunlight dancing upon it seemingly giving him a halo._

"_You're dead," she whispered. "Mina killed you. This isn't real."_

_The hope that had shined so brightly in his emerald eyes just moments before grew dimmer as he allowed his facial expression to grow somber. Taking a step towards her, he offered her his hand, "Please, Ami."_

_Never missing a beat she began to back away from him, with wide clear eyes studying him his every move for any indication of a threat. But as she studied his movements her traitorous eyes couldn't help but hungrily drink in every detail of his gold trimmed grey uniform, the insignia that named him Endymion's fourth general pinning his jacket shut at his collar. She also recognized the insignia next to it – the symbol of Mercury._

"_Ami, remember, please, Ami."_

"_No, you heard them. You heard Lita. How can you ask this of me?"_

"_You can't suppress it forever, Echo."_

"_Don't call me that," she snapped. She didn't know why but a part of her ached when he called her that name. 'It was obviously a term of affection but why 'Echo'? It was the name of the water nymph that fell in love with Narcissus. The nymph that had been cursed - cursed to echo the words of others, never to be able to speak for herself. The nymph that wasted away pining after Narcissus.'_

"_Echo –"_

_Clutching both sides of her head in both anger and frustration as part of her writhed in pain, Ami screamed, "I told you not to call me that! Not now, not ever!"_

_Making use of this momentary weakness, Zoisite closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her trembling form. Bearing the tirade of her fists against his chest, her struggling to free herself of his touch, her screams to let her go, to leave her alone, to leave her in peace, and her angry tears, all he could do was whisper, "Remember, Echo. Remember why I called you that, remember the first time we met, the first time we kissed, our first fight. Remember it all – the good and the bad. Don't let fear rule your life anymore. Let them help you and then you can pass judgment on my soul."_

_Letting out a shaky breath in defeat Ami dropped her hands to her sides and slowly nodded._

"_Good." Brushing away the tears from her eyes affectionately, he pressed something into her hand and released her. "Until we meet again, my sweet Echo."_

_As he turned as walked away the world began to spin until the next thing she knew was that . . . ._

* * *

_She was on the battlefield fighting back to back with Lita against each wave of the Dark Kingdom's minions with Mina and Rei just a few thousand yards away._

_Everything had happened so fast. One minute they were all enjoying one blessed night of peace during these tumultuous times and the next they were being told of the desecration of their homes and facing the destruction of the Moon Kingdom as well. _

_She could see them all standing there in the Queen's private chambers just moments after those dreadful words had been spoken. Lita had fallen to her knees and sobbed into her hands. Mina had collapsed into a nearby chair too stunned to even cry. She had run into Serenity's open arms allowing the silent soul wracking sobs to pour out of her. But Rei had just stood there stone faced and whispered the words she would never forget, "The worst is yet to come." Rei had known and never said a word. _

_'Mercury, scan the defenses and report,' Mina's telepathic command rang in her ears breaking her previous train of thought._

_Willing her visor to appear before her eyes it only took a few moments for her to complete her task. 'We have to make our way back to the palace. The gates won't hold for much longer without us. The city's already fallen. We have to protect Serenity.'_

_'You heard her ladies. We'll each take a gate – Mars, north, Jupiter, west, Mercury, east, and I'll take the south.'_

_As the last of Mina's orders reverberated over their telepathic link she spotted them, the Shitennou, standing at the top of a nearby hill. Taking only the time to finish off a youma she shouted over their link, 'Look! They've come back, just as promised!'_

_Indeed it was the Shitennou that made their way towards the still fighting Senshi, barely noticing the blood soaked battlefield around them. A strange wind blew causing their hair to fly sinisterly around them, their eyes each holding a tinge of red. _

_'Thank the gods,' she heard Lita whisper as she placed a well aimed kick to the side of a youma's head effectively breaking its neck. _

_'Keep at it. They'll be here soon enough,' Rei called, but her voice held a touch of sadness that Ami chose to ignore. _

_Despite the alarm bells that Rei's words had caused to echo in her mind, Ami allowed her heart to rule just this once as she left Lita's side for the comfort of his arms. She needed to kiss him, to hold him, to hear him speak her name at least one last time for her to continue protecting Serenity, to continue fighting. For once she didn't care what the consequences might be because they might not even live to see tomorrow. All that mattered was that the man she had freely given her heart and soul to was safe and had come to help her, to help them. Just one last time and she could die fulfilling her duty. _

_'Ami! Come back! They're coming! Lita needs your help! This could mean a court marshal!' Mina's frantic pleads fell on deaf ears as Ami continued onward._

_And she was almost within in the reach of her husband's arms when she heard Mina scream. Turning around she spotted the reason. Artemis was lying at Nephrite's feet with chest full of razor sharp throwing stars that had pierced his armor. _

_'Ami! Get back here now! There's still time, Ami!' Rei begged as Ami changed direction and began to move towards Artemis. 'There's something wrong . . . .'_

_But the last of Rei's words were lost to Ami as, to her horror, a sword emerged from her abdomen and she felt his hot breath on her ear as he breathed, "So long, Echo."_

_Then kissing her temple Zoisite pulled his sword out of her back, allowing her to fall to her knees at his feet clutching her stomach, and began to wipe it clean on his pant leg with a smug smile._

_Blinded by his own arrogance he never saw Venus's deadly blow coming and in one swift move she severed his head from his body._

_But Ami never knew this. In her final moments she berated herself for her weakness as memories of her life flashed before her like snapshots in a photo album – the first time she met Serenity, when she had learned that she was a Mercury, the first time she met her friends, the first time she met Zoisite, their first kiss, taking him home to Mercury to meet her family, his proposal, their marriage, everything. And then with her last breath she whispered, "I hate you, Zoi, my Narcissus, I hate you."_

* * *

"Darien, do something. Why can't you just heal her? What's wrong?" Serena pleaded for the thousandth time since Ami had become unconscious.

"I don't know, Sere. We just have to wait and see. Just pray," Darien whispered in reply.

A few moments afterward Ami began to stir and her eyes fluttered opened.

Serena launched herself at her friend with tears in her eyes, "Oh, Ami! We were so worried. Don't ever do that again! Are you ok?'

"Let her sit up a bit, Sere," Darien told her gently.

Serena let out a breath of air she hadn't realized she was holding, did as asked, and joined the others in the little circle they had formed around Ami when she had first passed out.

And it was only then that Ami noticed that there was something in her left hand as she slowly sat up. Opening her hand she found a fist full of blood and at the center of it the bloody sliver Mercury insignia that Zoisite had worn in her dream. At the sight of it tears began to run down her cheeks and a soul worn sob escaped her throat.

Serena wrapped her in arms once again allowing her friend to just let it all out as the others sat shocked and teary eyed at her open bloody hand and the symbol that lay nestled in it.

Once she had calmed down a bit, it was Rei that broke the uneasy silence, "What did you see?"

Taking a deep breath and fighting back the urge to cry, even though she had no more tears to shed, Ami whispered, "I saw him. He was wearing his Terran uniform and the insignia that names him Endymion's fourth general and this," once again showing them her bloody hand.

"Let me take care of that," Darien offered taking her hand into his own to heal it.

Nodding she saw a gentle golden light surround her hand and in a few moments her hand was good as new. Withdrawing her hand, Ami whispered, "Thank you," and continued. "He begged me to remember, took me in his arms, and then pressed something into my hand. I suppose it was this, the Mercury insignia. It names him the Prince of Mercury, my husband. And then I was on the battlefield with you and I saw them. I saw him and I ran to him. Rei begged me not to, but I did anyways. Nephrite attacked Artemis and as I moved to help him, Zoisite ran me through with his sword and whispered in my ear 'So long, Echo.'"

"What does this mean? None of us have actually had an encounter with them other than in our memories before, not to mention waking up with something they had given us?" Mina inquired.

"I don't know," Rei answered. "I've been sleeping in fifteen minute intervals for these past three weeks, since I had my dream. Something must be happening or changing. There's no doubt about it something very important is going to happen."

Clearing his throat to get their attention, Darien pulled a small velvet pouch out of his pocket. "I think I have something that may be able to help us understand." Opening it, he pulled four small gemstones out and laid them flat in his hand. "The general's souls have been trapped here since the destruction of Metallia. They were afraid that they would again fall to evil since Beryl condemned them to be in her service in every life since the Silver Millennium and encased themselves in these stones to prevent their rebirth. I believe that the combined power of the Golden and Silver Crystals will be able to break them of this curse one day. They have been advising me and are most definitely not who they were during the Dark Kingdom. They may have the answers to the questions you have. It is up to you whether or not you want to talk to them." Handing each of the Senshi their former lover's respective stone, he instructed them, "If you want to talk to them just say their names and they'll appear in spirit."

Glancing hesitantly at one another and the stones each of the Senshi nodded.

"It's worth a try," Lita said.

Giving them a small smile, Serena hugged Ami and said, "It's ok."

"Kunzite."

"Jadeite."

"Nephrite."

"Zoisite."

Each whispered their former soul mate's, husband's, lover's, name one by one. And one by one the stone in their hand glowed with a soft golden light and shattered.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And the plot thickens. A few things to note:

R.E.M. is the first stage of our sleep cycles. It is in this stage of sleep that dreams occur. Ami's sub-conscious was preventing her from entering this stage . . . keeping her from dreaming.

The complete Narcissus/Echo myth can be found in Edith Hamilton's "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes." It's a Greek myth and the reasoning behind its use in this story will become clearer as the story progresses.

Beryl did curse them to be HER warriors every time they are reborn. You can find it in Vol. 3 of the manga. And in Vol. 2 & 3 you can find the confirmation that the Shitennou were Endymion's Generals . . . or more accurately Princes in their own right. After all Shitennou means "Four Heavenly Kings."

As you can see the final battle and the deaths of the Senshi are becoming clearer with each new dream . . . kind of like the pieces of a puzzle. Ami's dream? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned to find out the meaning of that one.

Don't forget to review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Stone Ashes**

Chapter 4

**by - DreamHeart (a.k.a. - smileybecka)**

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT OWN Sailor Moon or any of its characters, BUT I DO OWN the story. Remember plagiarism is bad, and I will hunt you down.

* * *

Leaning against an ornate garnet staff a tall woman with a curtain of dark emerald hair furrowed her brow and sighed. 'She'll be here soon.'

Not a moment or two later another woman joined her. She was quite a bit shorter than her counterpart standing at five feet five inches tall. Her deep violet eyes raked over her silent companion filled with compassion and understanding. They were two kindred spirits, both incarnates of the inevitable – Time and Death. Running a hand through her shoulder length ebony hair, she decided that there was no time like the present. Clearing her throat she gently pounded the ground with the butt of her glaive effectively announcing her presence.

Shutting her deep magenta eyes, Setsuna mentally and emotionally prepared herself for her next mission. "Hello, Saturn. Did you feel it too?"

"Yes, Pluto, I felt it. We both know what must happen next."

Opening her eyes but still never turning to greet her long time friend and leader, Setsuna could picture her there in her mind's eye. Dressed in their old Senshi uniform complete with purple bows, short skirt, tiara and her favorite knee high boots reminded Setsuna of times long since past . . . . Despite everything the girl was like a daughter to her.

"I await your orders."

Saturn smiled. She may have been millennias younger than her fellow Senshi but she was still the undisputed leader of the Outers. "You will go to the past. Warn the Outer Senshi and take them to the Prince and Princess. Then lead them to safety and guard them until the Awakening. I trust I do not have to lecture you on meddling with the time stream."

"Of course not."

"All right then, I will guard the Time Gate until your return. You have your orders now go."

Turning then Pluto grasped her staff, bowed a quick goodbye to Saturn, and walked into the mists of the Time Gate.

"Good luck, Setsuna-mama."

* * *

Mina stared in disbelief at the shattered remains of the stone that had once rested in the palm of her hand. She had been expecting to see the ghost of her long dead lover and to interrogate him and the rest of the Shitennou. If they thought Beryl was hell it would be nothing compared to the wrath of four heart-broken love-starved Senshi. True, she wasn't exactly heart-broken but then again she hadn't been tormented by memories of that final battle. There was a succinct difference between knowing that she had slain both Kunzite and Zoisite and that he had repaid the favor and actually reliving it. Besides unlike her fellow Senshi she had fallen back in love with the man who haunted her dreams . . . . But that by no stretch of the imagination meant that she was going to be tricked into ever allowing these men into a position where they could hurt them again. "What the hell happened?"

She was the first to break the uneasy silence, her icy stare pinning Darien to the spot demanding an answer.

Gulping he ran a hand through his dark locks and opened his mouth to respond . . .

"They glowed, glowed with the same golden light that you used to heal Ami. Explain that exactly," Lita effectively cut him off.

"You were talking about bringing them back just moments before, what did you do?" Ami accused.

"Sere," Rei said keeping her voice deadly calm. "You didn't have anything to do with this did you?"

"Rei, I didn't even know that – "Serena began to answer.

"That's not what I asked. No wishes, no nothing, Serenity. Tell me that you had nothing to do with this."

Dead silence. All eyes were on the pair.

"Rei, I –"

The door to Rei's room flung open then and there stood Setsuna.

"You don't have to answer that, princess, at least not yet." Walking into the room, she beckoned for someone to follow her. The Outers – Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru – quickly followed suit. "There are more pressing matters at hand."

"I will be the judge of that," Mina growled, surprising even herself.

"Not when it concerns the safety of the princess. Stand down, Venus. I know recent events have been rather unnerving." Setsuna motioned for the Outers to sit with the others. "We don't have much time. The Outers already know what I'm going to say, I filled them in on the way here. An asteroid strike has begun. Three have already hit, each a kilometer in size. One hit the eastern seaboard of the United States, another landed in the Tasmanian Sea just south of Australia, and the last one hit Moscow, Russia. War has been declared on Earth. More will come in the minutes to follow and in less than an hour a ten kilometer asteroid will hit the Earth."

Ami gasped and all eyes turned to her. "Ten kilometers? Are you sure, Pluto?"

Pluto nodded.

"The one that killed the dinosaurs was only five kilometers. This could wipe Earth clean of every living organism. Nothing would survive. I'd be surprised if Earth wasn't destroyed."

"There's no choice then," Serena whispered. "I'll use the crystal. We could teleport to it. The same way we destroyed the one Fiore sent."

"No, that's exactly what he wants – to draw you out into the open," Setsuna chided. "Not even the combined powers of the crystals would guarantee that both or even one of you would survive. Not to mention the fact that this is an asteroid strike. There are several asteroids on their way to Earth. There is no guarantee that we would be able to teleport to the right one. It is an option that no one in this room would be willing to take."

"Then what do we do?" Lita asked in a voice that seemed too small to belong to her.

"There's an underground cavern nearby, that I'm sure you're familiar with, Rei."

Ami furrowed her brow in confusion. "But even if an asteroid were to hit we still would be killed."

Pulling Serena into his lap Darien held her tightly. "You know something that we don't. Don't you Setsuna?"

"Very perceptive, your majesty," Setsuna bowed slightly to him. "I am here to lead you to safety and guard you during the Great Freeze."

"What about your duties to the Time Gate?" Mina questioned.

"All will be revealed in due time, Venus. For right now, let's just say that a kindred spirit is tending to it for me. Now let's get going we don't have much time."

With that Setsuna turned and was about to walk out the door when Serena's voice called her back, "Wait! What about our families and friends? You said that we have an hour that should be more than enough time to warn them."

Turning in the doorway to face her Setsuna reminded herself of her duty and her vows. It was not the first time she had done this and it would not be the last. "Your safety and Endymion's are our priority. The two of you must come with me and the Outers. The Inners can carry out your wishes if you like."

Biting her lip, Serena looked to Luna for advice.

"You must do as you see fit, princess," Luna replied to her unspoken question.

"All right then, Darien, I, Luna, and Artemis will go with you. Mina and Lita will go and warn her parents. Rei and Ami will go warn her mother. Whoever gets done first will go and warn my family. Bring everyone back to the cavern, understood?"

"No," Luna glared at her charge with tears in her eyes. "That is unacceptable. Artemis and I will warn them."

"And how will they take it when you show up on their doorstep claiming to be their cat or as their cat claiming that their daughter is Sailor Moon? They'll think you're crazy and slam the door in your face. I need them to come, Luna. I need them to be safe. I love them so much. I can't imagine life without them. So please, let one of the Senshi do it. They are more likely to believe one of them. Please?"

"She understands, your majesty," Artemis answered stepping in between Luna and Serena.

"No, I want to hear it from her."

Luna hung her head fighting back tears and then looked to Serena. "I understand."

"Thank you. Now let's get moving. I want everyone to know where this cavern is in case you get separated. Lead the way, Setsuna."

* * *

Already knowing that the group was headed into the woods behind the Hikawa shrine, Rei furtively let Ami know that she would catch up in a bit. Standing alone beneath the sakura trees she wondered if she was doing the right thing. Shaking her head to rid her mind of doubt, she told herself that in the very least he was her friend and that she didn't want him to die.

"Phobos! Deimos!"

Almost instantly her two crows appeared cawing happily in reply. Extending a hand to them, Deimos landed lightly upon it, while Phobos opted to perch on her shoulder.

"I need you two to do something for me," Rei cooed as she absently stroked Deimos' feathers. "I need you to find Chad and warn him about the asteroid strike. Tell him to bring as many people as he can to the cavern behind the shrine. He'll know what you're talking about. Then come back here and go to the cavern. Wait for me there. If I should not return -"

Both birds squawked in dismay, begging her not to talk like that.

"Shh, I have no intentions of dying today. But if anything should happen you are to guard the princess. Now go warn Chad."

Phobos nudged her head in protest, as if to say he hurt you.

"You will do as I say, won't you?"

In reply both birds left their perches and took to the sky to begin their search, though begrudgingly, for Chad.

"Thank you!" Rei called as she watched her guardians fly off into the horizon. "Please be safe."

* * *

"Ok, here we are," Setsuna called to the group behind her as they entered a clearing in the woods. Once they were all there she pointed over to a relatively small hole in this side of the mountain. "The cavern is right over there. Do you think you can find your way back here?"

Four nodding heads answered in reply.

"Good. We'll give you a few moments alone," Setsuna offered gently ushering the Outers into the cavern.

"Thank you," Serena murmured before launching herself into Mina's open arms. "You will be careful, won't you? You'll stay together?"

"Yes, don't worry," Lita cooed as she joined in the hug.

"We'll be careful and be back her in no time," Ami sighed as she too wrapped her arms around Mina and Serena.

"Where's Rei?" Serena sniffled.

"Right here," Rei called as she entered the clearing.

Tearing herself from their grip Serena ran to Rei. "You can't go off by yourself anymore. Stay with Ami and come back safe." She begged as she cried in Rei's arms.

"Shh, I promise. Now go with Darien into the cavern. We'll be back soon," Rei murmured. "Take care of her, Darien."

"I will, I promise. You are like my sisters. Be safe and come back soon," Darien assured them as he gathered his wife in his arms and led her to the safety of the cavern.

Clearing his throat Artemis walked over to Mina and rubbed up against her leg. "Don't do anything rash today," he whispered to her. Then turning his attention to the entire group he continued, "This is no ordinary asteroid strike. Remember war has been declared on Earth. You need to be extra careful. No going anywhere without your buddy. You all know that we love you."

"Now get going," Luna ordered as tears started to blur her vision.

* * *

Chad was dressed in a three piece gray business suit as he stood on the balcony of his old room. Leaning against the railing to any observer it would have appeared as if he were merely admiring the sunset. But that was not the case. He was utterly oblivious to his surroundings as he was utterly consumed in his thoughts. Berating himself for his behavior that morning and his previous treatment of Rei, he was utterly out place in the beauty and tranquility that surrounded him.

This is the man that Phobos and Deimos found – an utter shell of his former self. Landing on the railing they noisily announced their arrival.

"Hello, Phobos, Deimos." Sighing Chad turned to them. "I'm not coming back." With that he shoved his hands into his pockets and began to walk inside.

Suddenly a flash of red and blue light caught his eye causing him to turn in the doorway. The two crows were no longer there. Instead two young women with alabaster skin and long ebony hair stood on the railing. He could only guess that they were twins because the only difference between them was their eyes. Phobos' eyes were blood red while Deimos' were icy blue and the uniforms they were wearing matched them perfectly. Each wore a one piece sleeveless body suit with a high collar with sheer bows of their respective colors at their shoulders and lower back. They resembled Rei in so many ways that it made his mouth go dry with longing . . . . But it was their eyes that forced him back to reality and it was those same eyes that now pinned him in place.

"You presume too much," Phobos almost growled.

"We are not here to bring you back to Hikawa. We are only here at our mistress' request," Deimos assured him.

"Then get on with it. I don't have all day."

"Of course, we have already wasted enough time looking for you. Our mistress wishes that you and as many people as you can convince to come with you to come to the cavern near Hikawa," Phobos answered stoically.

"Is that so? She thinks I am going to come just because she wishes it? I am long past that."

Tossing her hair over her shoulder Deimos was off the railing in an instant. Her black high heels clicked against the stone floor ominously announcing her approach. "Watch your tongue. You will not speak of the princess in such a manner. She sent us here because she cared about your well being."

"Deimos . . ." Phobos warned from her perch on the railing.

"No, he needs to know," Deimos called back to her counterpart as she continued to approach him stopping just a couple of feet away from where he so smugly leaned against the doorframe. "There is a ten kilometer asteroid headed for Earth as we speak. She could have chosen not to warn you and crushed you as harshly under her heel as you did to her this morning. But she chose not to. No matter what she sees you as a friend and wishes you no harm. Remember that Chad Kumada."

"If you choose to come, heed our warning. If you as much as look at our mistress the wrong way we will skin you alive. She has been hurt by too many men and this time we will not stand idly by and watch. Do I make myself clear, Chad?" Phobos threatened all the while keeping her voice icily calm and even.

Silence.

"Answer! Or do I need to remind you how to speak?" Deimos demanded.

"C-crystal," Chad managed to choke out.

"Good, then we have an understanding. Good day, sir," Phobos curtly replied before reverting back to crow form.

Leaning forward to close the gap between them Deimos narrowed her eyes making them seem like two hard chips of sapphire. "It would be in your best interest to come to the cavern, if you know what I mean. Do not take our warning lightly." Then heeding the fervent squawking of her twin she too reverted back to her crow form and together they made their way back to Hikawa shrine to fulfill the last part of their promise.

* * *

"You heard them – stay together. Communicators are to be on at all times. I'll be checking in periodically to make sure you're all right," Venus stated as they left the clearing. "Understood?"

"Understood," Mars and Mercury chimed.

"This is where we leave you. Be careful." With that Venus and Jupiter headed off in the direction of Venus' home.

* * *

"Ok, Mercury, where are we headed?" Mars asked as they began to run in the opposite direction that Venus and Jupiter had taken.

"Mom is supposed to be giving a lecture over at Tokyo University, But I'm not sure if we're going to catch her before she leaves. If we miss her, then she'll be at the hospital making her rounds."

"Then let's hurry."

* * *

"Venus," Jupiter called as they ran flat out on the busy sidewalks of Tokyo.

"Hmm?"

"What if they're not there?"

"I'm praying that they are. Daddy should be home by now."

"We'll find them." Jupiter smiled and gave her a reassuring glance. "Don't worry, they'll be fine."

Nodding Venus was just about to respond when she saw it - a massive burning chunk of rock streaming through the sky, an asteroid. Pluto had been right and she couldn't help but think that it reminded her of one of Mars' fireballs. "Get down!"

Obediently Jupiter hit the pavement covering her head with her arms. And that's when felt it. The Earth shook furiously under them for what seemed to be ages. They heard the people scream in terror as the Earth roared in pain. Nearby buildings imploded or began to crumble from the magnitude of the shock waves.

After it passed Jupiter looked over at Venus, who was only a few feet away from her, to making sure she was all right. "You ok," she managed to choke out.

Standing up and brushing herself off, Venus nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. You?"

Jupiter nodded.

"Good. Get up quick before the panic sets in, you don't want to be trampled."

Sure enough as soon as the words left her lips the screaming and running began. Hurriedly helping Jupiter up the pair began to run.

"Venus, this is too dangerous, even for us," Jupiter called over the constant screaming as she and Venus tried to run against the current of people struggling to get as far away from the impact site as possible.

"There must be another way." Frustrated but determined Venus' eyes searched for another means to reach her home. The buildings? They could travel by rooftop but that was just as dangerous. There was no way to tell the building's integrity without Mercury. Any one of them could cave in under their weight giving them little or no time to escape. Not to mention the fact that it would make them easy targets if the enemy was out looking for them. Frowning she grumbled to herself – there didn't seem like there was any other way. There was no telling where they would end up if they teleported. They could end up in a crater for all they knew. Groundwork was getting them no where and was just as dangerous. It was the only choice. "See that building over there? I'm going to see if I can make it to its roof. If it's safe, meaning it can hold both of our weight, I'll wave you and you follow me."

"Ok."

Taking a deep breath Venus propelled herself from the chaos below to the rooftop of a nearby building. It didn't buckle or groan under her weight – a good sign. 'So far, so good.' Just to be safe she began to jump up and down on various parts of the roof to make sure that it could hold both of their weight. Thoroughly satisfied she signaled Jupiter to join her.

Once she was safely on the rooftop Jupiter surveyed the chaos below and shook her head. "Shouldn't we tell them something?"

"It would only make matters worse. Besides do you think they'd really listen?" Pulling her communicator off of her belt Venus pressed the button labeled Mars. "We need to check on them."

* * *

"Mercury, are you ok?" Mars called frantically as soon as the dust settled from the impact of the asteroid. "Mercury?"

That's when she heard the coughing a few yards behind her. 'Thank the gods.'

"I'm ok, Mars," Mercury managed to choke out and then all hell broke loose. People were running, screaming, panicked and just trying to survive.

"We've got to get out of here. Scan the surrounding area for safety," Mars ordered as both of them leapt to their feet to keep from being trampled.

"Right." Summoning her visor with a press of her left earring Mercury did as ordered. "There's a storefront a couple of doors down that should be safe for a little while."

"Well, 'a little while' is better than nothing," Mars sighed as they began to struggle against the sea of frightened people to safety. She heard her communicator go off in their struggle but was afraid that she would drop it and let it go unanswered.

Not a minute later Mercury's communicator went off. "Guess Venus is trying to reach us," Mercury called over the tirade of noise and people.

"She's probably just checking to see if we're ok and probably sick with worry now that neither of us has answered."

"We're almost there though. We'll call her from there."

A few minutes later they sighed in relief in the safety of the store's large entry way with Mars' communicator beeping once more. Unbuckling it from its place on her hip, she opened it and was greeted by Venus' worried face as it appeared on the small screen.

"Oh, thank heaven," Venus breathed. "Are both of you all right?"

"Yes, we're both fine."

"Good." Sighing Venus felt her relief being replaced by anger and bellowed, "Now would you care to tell me why the hell you didn't answer your communicators? You had us scared to death. Didn't I explicitly order you to keep them on at all times?"

Mars felt her temper flare at the accusation. Venus knew better, she would never disregard or disobey any order given by her. She was their leader, second only to Serenity. But she knew her friend had good reason to be upset. She had feared the worst at their silence and for that reason alone did Mars keep her temper in check. "I'm sorry, Venus, for not responding sooner but we were in no position to answer you. We were trying to get to safety despite the throng of chaos that now grips the city."

Nodding Venus' face softened. "All right. I think it's best to take to the rooftops. Have Mercury scan each building before you jump. It's safest that way."

"What about you? You can't have her scan the building's integrity beforehand. Don't you think that teleporting would be safer?"

"My chain should be able to bail me out of any trouble should the need arise. I know that it's not the safest way but it's all we've got. We're risking detection. Who's to say that this new enemy isn't going to make use of this state of panic to search for us? The ground offers us some protection from that but it's too dangerous. It won't be hard for them to spot us, but teleporting would be like sending up smoke signals saying 'Here I am come and get me!'" Pausing she took a deep breath and continued, "Besides you would be teleporting blind. Who's to say that the area hadn't been leveled or worse was the point of impact. We don't know who this new enemy is, Mars. All we know is what Pluto has told us. They want the crystal and we can't protect Serenity or our families if we're dead or captured. Proceed by rooftop. Call me as soon as you find Mercury's mom. First to get back to the cavern goes back for Serenity's family. Venus out." And with that the small screen went blank.

Mars shook her dark locks and scowled, "I still think teleporting would be safer."

"We're almost there anyways," Mercury assured her. "I'll scan for a secure building."

As Mercury stepped out of the enclave to scan the surrounding area once more something caught Mars' eye. It was streaming through the sky hurling itself just miles ahead of them. "Mercury, get down now!" she screamed as she tackled Mercury to the ground bracing herself for the impact.

Hitting the pavement once more they could feel the heat emanating from the explosion. Fire swept over them, the surrounding people and buildings. The flames roared in their ears amidst the screams. It was only power of Mars that kept them from being roasted alive. The Earth groaned and trembled below them. The buildings that had survived the last asteroid were consumed by the flames, imploding, exploding, and crumbling all around them. Daring to glance up Mars had the good fortune to spot a chunk of the building that they had just taken shelter from speeding towards them. Gripping Mercury's shoulders tightly, she shut her eyes and screamed, "Roll!"

Mercury obeyed without a second thought never hearing it slam into the ground as it was lost amongst everything. She knew these people were dead, dying, or at the very least unconscious. Their Senshi strength combined with the sheltering power of Mars had saved them from such a fate. She was extremely grateful. Then she remembered her mother. The asteroid had hit only a few miles ahead of them. If she was still lecturing or . . . . 'No! It couldn't have. Please, Mom, be at the hospital. Be anywhere except at the university.' Riding out the rest of the fury her fears only grew. And then came the eerie silence – no screams of terror or pain, no more explosions, buildings crumbling, nothing but the sound of fire crackling.

Rolling off of Mercury, Mars laid her head back on the scorched pavement. 'I guess I am flame-retardant after all.' She frowned. Why had she remembered his snide remark? Why had she felt compelled to answer him, now of all times? She didn't know. Frustrated she pushed it to the back of her mind deciding to deal with that later, if at all.

No longer feeling Mars' weight on top of her, Mercury took a deep breath and pushed herself onto her knees. Shooting Mars a small smile of thanks, she surveyed the surrounding area with wide eyes. It was desecrated. What was left was scorched beyond recognition as the flames continued to rage. She had expected a few survivors, not that they would be the sole survivors. Inwardly she thanked the gods that they had survived. She couldn't even make out the charred remains of any of the other people who had been present. As she continued to stare at the ruins, the flames, her thoughts returned to her mother. A ragged breath escaped her lips, causing Mars to throw her a worried look. 'Mom could be . . . ' A surge of panic ran through her system urging her to get up and run, to make sure that her mother was fine . . . with or without Mars. She shook her head and glanced over at Mars. Mars had saved her life, how could she repay that by leaving her? Venus' orders and Serenity's pleas rang loud in her ears once more. 'Stay together.' 'You can't go off on your own anymore. Stay with the others.' Mercury remembered the death she had relived less than an hour ago. She had left Jupiter, would she leave Mars too? No, no, she would not repeat the mistakes of the past. She would not let her heart or even fear guide her this time. That decision made she gave Mars a half smile. "I'm ok. Just thinking, I guess."

"Mmm, I'm sure she's fine, Mercury. We'll find her." Sitting up Mars surveyed the surrounding area. "Why don't you put out these fires and then estimate how far away from us it hit?"

"Right." Standing up she took a deep breath and shouted, "Shine Aqua Illusion." Water rushed from her hands and extinguished the flames. 'Now all we have to worry about are flash fires,' she thought as she pressed her left earring once more. Her visor appeared. Quickly doing the calculations she gasped. They were no more than two, maybe three, miles away from the epicenter. Any closer and not even their powers could have saved them. 'If Mom was still . . . . ' Her worst fears seemed to be confirmed.

"How far are we?" Mars interrupted her thoughts.

"No more than a few miles from the epicenter," Mercury managed to choke out.

"We'll still look." Mars stood and put a comforting arm around Mercury's shoulder. "Don't give up hope. Remember you said that she might not even be there. She could be safe and sound doing her rounds at the hospital."

Nodding Mercury knew she was right. 'There's still a chance Mom could still be alive.' "Then let's moving."

* * *

Venus ran up the stairs that led to her Western style home and kicked the front door open with Jupiter close on her heels. The house was eerily quiet, too quiet. Her cornflower eyes frantically searched for any signs of her parents. "Jupiter, search the upstairs. Search everywhere, but be careful. Something's not right here."

"I know. I feel it too," Jupiter whispered as she mounted the stairs.

Entering the bedroom nearest the stairs, Jupiter readied herself for anything. 'Empty. Damn it!' Sighing she checked the closet and under the bed. Everything checked out. She was thankful that she hadn't found some crony holding Venus' parents hostage or worse yet blood. A shiver went down her spine. 'Don't think like that,' she scolded herself.

* * *

Meanwhile in a room down the hall, a tall woman with a mane of rich red hair that cascaded in waves down her back hid amongst the shadows. She was no fool. She knew that someone else was in the house. The noise earlier was enough to wake the dead. She would make her master proud. He would not regret giving her the crystal, which now glowed green on a silver chain at the base of her throat. Jupiter was close by. Fingering it lightly, she went over her plan once more in her head. It was foolproof. She would defeat the thunder senshi and force her to reveal the location of the crystal. Now all that needed to be done was to put her plan in action. Smiling her emerald eyes turned their gaze to the center of the room coming to rest on her bait.

A middle aged woman sat on her knees with her chin resting on her chest, totally dejected. She was gagged and her hands and feet were bound. There was no way she could escape. Her soft azure eyes were puffy and red from crying, her normally neat shoulder length wavy blonde hair was horribly disheveled, and her crisp white apron was stained with blood.

Smiling from the shadows the red-haired woman sent a wave of dark energy at this pitiful figure causing the blonde-haired woman to begin to whimper in pain.

* * *

As Jupiter re-entered the hallway the noise caught her attention. 'Some sign of life. Thank the gods.' Making her way towards the sound, which was coming from Venus' room at the end of the hall, alarm bells began to go off in the back of her mind. It was definitely crying. Someone was in pain, physical or emotional, but pain nonetheless.

Taking a deep breath, Jupiter prepared herself for the worst and peered into the room through the partly closed door.

In the middle of the room, Venus' mother writhed in agony as wave after wave of dark energy coursed through her body. Her arms and legs were twitching violently within their confines. Her eyes, which mirrored Venus', were rolled up into her head. It was almost as if the woman were having a seizure.

Jupiter's eyes widened as she forced down the bile that had risen in her throat. 'Patience,' Jupiter reminded herself. 'You need to know where Venus' father is and if he's alive. Patience is a virtue.' She almost growled as she remembered one of Luna's various lectures. Patience was not a virtue she possessed; she would have liked nothing more than to take her chances, storm into the room and help the poor woman. Sighing, she silently apologized to Venus and her mother as her emerald eyes began to desperately search for any sign of Venus' father. Instead she caught sight of a pair of long shapely legs clad in tight black pants and black high heeled boots just as they launched a kick at her head. Jumping back she just narrowly escaped the blow with merely a scratch on her cheek.

Laughing the red-haired woman towered over Jupiter. "I would have expected more from you, Sailor Jupiter. I am a little disappointed, though, that you didn't storm into the room as I had planned." Waving her hand a ball crackling with dark energy appeared in her palm. "No matter, tell me where the crystal is."

Glaring up at her attacker, Jupiter almost laughed. 'Does she think I'm going to tell her just because she asked? Idiot.' Then kicking the legs out from under the woman, she smirked and jumped up. "Not so high and mighty now are you? Who are you and what do you want with the crystal? And how did you find this place?"

The air crackled with electricity but the woman lying at Jupiter's feet was unafraid. 'Note to self – don't get cocky,' she scolded herself. "It's crawling with your energy signals." Hurling her ball of dark energy at the senshi, she quickly rolled away and got up.

Side-stepping the attack Jupiter decided to use one of her own. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

Throwing a shield up, the woman easily blocked the attack. "Surely you can do better than that. After all you are one of the legendary Senshi, the warriors who have defeated countless enemies with a wave of their hand. The least you can do is let me have a little bit of fun. Killing you just won't have the same sense of satisfaction of you don't put up a decent fight." A sword of dark energy suddenly appeared in her free hand. 'Don't get cocky,' she reminded herself as she lunged at Jupiter.

"Tell me your name," Jupiter growled as she evaded the woman's barrage of assaults.

"My name is Eris," the woman bit out stopping her attack. The sword in her hand transformed into another ball of dark energy. "My crystal has the ability to detect your energy signals, your auras." Turning abruptly away from Jupiter, she hurled it in the direction of the stairs.

Not missing a beat, Jupiter clutched her hands together and brought a well aimed hit down on the middle of Eris' back sending her sprawling down the hallway. Then bringing her heel down on that exact spot she effectively pinned the woman to the ground. Lightning crackling at her fingertips she called, "Venus, are you ok?"

Popping her head out of the stairwell Venus smiled. "Yes, quick thinking." Approaching her fellow senshi, the smile was quickly replaced with a mask of indifference. Kneeling about a foot away from their fallen enemy she demanded, "Who do you work for? What do they want with the crystal? Why the asteroid strike? Why not try and conquer Earth like all the others?"

Eris was silent. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out how to get out of this desperate situation.

Grinding her heel into the woman's back, Jupiter snarled, "Answer the lady's questions."

There was only one thing to do and even then she would still most likely die at the hands of these two senshi. Slowly and softly she began to chant in a language that that neither Venus nor Jupiter had ever heard before. It sent a shiver down their spines.

"What are you doing?" Venus roared as she grabbed Eris by the hair in an attempt to disrupt the chant.

In fact it was a feeble attempt at best. Haughty emerald eyes met Venus' blazing sapphire eyes as the chant's tempo increased.

Suddenly a scream tore through the air. Jupiter's face fell in horror. She had forgotten that Mina's mother was still bound and gagged in the room behind them. Too concerned with pumping this woman for information she had neglected to inform Venus of the hostages.

Releasing Eris a second after the scream echoed throughout the house, Venus shot Jupiter a look that told her to stay with their prisoner. Standing up she made her way past them, towards her room. Hesitating for only a moment at the doorway her eyes revealed the sea of emotions coursing through her veins before reverting back to ice. Stepping into the room only her senshi training stopped her crumbling to her knees.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** First off I need to credit "Crystal Tokyo for the Baka" at ASMR for the asteroid idea. Thanks guys!

Yes, the size of the asteroid suspected to have killed the dinosaurs is 5 kilometers.

Eris is my original character. A minion of who? You'll have to wait and see.


	5. Chapter 5

**Stone Ashes: Chapter 5**

By: DreamHeart (a.k.a. smileybecka)

AN: I know that its been a long time, I promise the fic is not dead. Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me.

**Disclaimer: **I DO NOT OWN Sailor Moon or any of its characters. I DO OWN the story. Remember plagiarism is bad.

* * *

Haruka stuffed her hands in her pockets as she paced the length of the cavern. She was frustrated, frustrated that she was useless. Her tawny eyes flickered once more to her princess.

Serena was curled up into a ball in Darien's lap with her tear stained face buried in Darien's chest. She was scared out of her mind. It was to be expected. The explosions that were going on outside were enough to deafen one . . . worse than any other thunderstorm. Rubbing her back Darien cooed words of comfort in her ear, trying to calm her down.

Haruka's eyes clouded with anger and desperation. She felt like punching a wall. She felt so helpless as she watched her princess cower in the prince's arms – helpless to stop the attack and helpless to save the princess' family.

Her eyes darted then to the Senshi of Time, who met her with a calm even gaze. It unnerved and infuriated her all at the same time. Haruka forced herself to look away and instead picked up her pace. The only thing that held her tongue was the knowledge that the Outers' presence would disrupt the time continuum. Disrupt the time continuum? There were always threats to the time continuum – their presence was no different. Suddenly she could feel Setsuna's eyes boring into her back but chose to ignore it. She would obey orders . . . even though disobeying those orders might save her liege pain.

Sighing Haruka suddenly stopped, ran a hand over her face, and then turned to her lover.

Michiru was sitting cross-legged as she leaned against the wall. Holding Hotaru's hand more to comfort herself than the younger senshi, Michiru glanced up meeting Haruka's gaze.

It was only for a few seconds but it felt like a lifetime. Haruka could feel every emotion that Michiru was experiencing and was unsurprised to find that they mirrored her own. All except one that is – an overwhelming sense of fear and dread all for the little girl that both of them considered to be their only child.

* * *

Venus stood in a pool of blood shaken to the core. Closing her eyes she prayed that the grisly scene was just merely an illusion. But no matter how much she wished or prayed, she knew the truth – her parents were dead. And as she opened her eyes once more, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Stepping forward she was bombarded by the sick sweetly smell of blood. It was everywhere. As she walked her heels splashed her calves with the sanguine liquid in cold indifference to her inner agony.

Standing above her mother, Venus bit her lip as guilt threatened to overwhelm her. The chant had triggered this; she should have killed her the moment it began . . . but she didn't know. She didn't know. It was a pitiful excuse of an apology but that's all she could offer the decapitated, dismembered woman before her, her mother . . . Mama.

Mama. Mama that would scold her for being boy-crazy, flighty, and irresponsible. Mama, the one who took care of her when she was sick, that would surprise her with a new dress when she was depressed, the one who had talked her father into letting her keep Artemis and drove her to her first modeling job. Mama, her mama, the one that she'd often fought with but loved nonetheless . . . the very same Mama whose face was transfixed in horror.

Venus felt bile rise up in throat. Forcing herself to look away she caught a glimpse of her father. Sinking to her knees, she continued to stare at her father. He was slumped over in a corner of the room and apparently had suffered a similar fate.

Venus placed a hand over her eyes and gulped. She wanted to scream, to cry. She felt more like a lost little girl than she did a Senshi and had the distinct impulse to curl up into a ball and die. She was just as responsible for their deaths as she was the deaths of her people.

'Enough!' a voice echoed in her mind. 'Get up.'

Venus didn't move.

'Get up, **now**. There is a time and a place for everything and this isn't it.'

The voice was liquid steel. She glanced up, forced herself up, and answered, 'And when is, Kunzite?'

'Nothing will change what happened. There are still the prince and princess to think of.'

She could almost see him standing there – ordering her to fulfill her duty. She imagined him in his crisp white uniform, his long hair tied back loosely at the base of his neck, his lavender gaze ice. But she remained bolted in place.

'How long do you think it will be before Eris figures out how to escape Jupiter's grasp? How long will you sit there full of self pity? Interrogate her, get the information you need, and kill her.'

Venus recoiled and grabbed her cheek as if he had slapped her. She knew he was right – he always was. Her crystal eyes glanced tearfully over her parents once more before becoming chips of steel. Her crystal sword materialized in her hand and she stormed out of the room.

And somewhere Kunzite smiled.

* * *

"Let's get going," Mars gently prodded. "There's no time to waste."

Nodding Mercury surveyed the devastation once more before turning on her heel and breaking into a run. It was not long before Mars had caught up with her.

Surveying the road before them with fresh eyes, Mercury frowned. The impact of the asteroid had effectively destroyed all nearby buildings which would leave them stranded once they encountered the panicked masses again. In fact, most of the surrounding area had been pretty much leveled leaving them with little or no protection from detection. Not to mention the possibility of flash fires, which once again appeared in her mind's eye. "We need to be more careful than ever," she called to Mars. "It was safer when we at least had some sort of cover."

'We're sitting ducks,' Mars sighed. "How much farther do you think it is to the hospital?"

"A few miles at least."

"Be on the look out for anything we can use as cover. Evasive tactics." But as soon as the words were out of her mouth she saw them - two streams of fire tearing through the sky.

* * *

Venus entered the hallway like an angry thundercloud with Kunzite's words still burning her ears. Watching Jupiter's eyes widen in horror as she approached she met her emerald gaze with an icy stare, her intent more that apparent – 'Move.'

Numb with shock Jupiter mutely complied. Then quicker than she could blink, Venus was kneeling and had Eris by the roots of her hair.

"Now we're going to play a little game," Venus said in a dangerously low tone as she lovingly drew her blade across the vulnerable snow white flesh of Eris' throat. Smiling to herself as she watched a small trickle of blood escape, Venus slammed her to the ground. Standing now, she could practically smell Eris' fear. Taking advantage of this Venus ground her heel in the small of her back. Ignoring Jupiter's piercing gaze on her back, she brought her sword down with a quick flick of her wrist just an inch above the back of Eris's neck. "My sword is going to start an inch above your neck and for each lie you tell me it gets half an inch closer until you're dead. Now let's begin. Who do you work for?"

Silence.

"I believe the lady asked you a question," Jupiter demanded as she stepped away from the wall to join Venus. "Who do you work for?"

"Orpheus. I work for Orpheus," Eris replied.

"Good now we're getting somewhere. Now," Venus paused. "What does he want with the crystal."

"I don't know."

"Wrong answer," Jupiter growled as Venus lowered her blade half an inch.

Eris gulped. "He wants what is rightfully his. He wants to rule the universe."

'Same old, same old. Why do they always think the crystal is theirs?' Venus wondered. "Why the asteroid strike?"

"I don't know."

"Strike two, next one you die," Jupiter stated as she folded her arms across her chest.

Eris inhaled sharply as she felt the cold crystal blade press against her skin. "You posed too great of a threat. It'd be easier to get the crystal with the Senshi out of the way."

"Why not try and conquer the Earth like all the others?"

"I don't know, I swear," Eris begged.

Leaning down Venus murmured in her ear, "Such a pity, but I will more than enjoy this." With that she plunged her sword through Eris' neck.

* * *

On the Moon, a man with short blue-black hair and grey eyes leaned against the ruins of the prayer room, the room that only the queen could enter over a millennia ago surveying the Earth. He had sharp features, wore black trousers and a matching black military style jacket with silver trim and silver buttons,

Suddenly a man materialized behind him. Quickly kneeling and bowing his head he stated, "My lord, Eris is dead."

Without turning the grey-eyed man replied, "I know."

"She had the tracking crystal, sire."

Turning his head to look at his subservient, his grey eyes quickly fell upon a man with cropped silver hair, dressed in black boots, trousers, and a muscle shirt. "That is most unfortunate . . . but no matter. The Senshi have other weaknesses." Then he turned to completely face the man who knelt before him, his grey eyes meeting with the man's amethyst gaze. "Send word that Charon is to increase the asteroid strike immediately. Then see to it that our forces fan out. I want that crystal."

"That's suicide. We'll lose the majority of our forces."

"You will do as ordered," the grey-eyed man growled as a crackling ball of dark energy formed in the palm of his hand, "or die."

"Forgive me. You are a wise man, my lord. I will do as you command."

Wiseman. "Retrieve that crystal at all costs. You are dismissed." With that the grey-eyed man returned to gazing at the Earth. An evil grin crossed his face, as he felt his minion leave to carry out his orders. 'There will come a day when the White Moon wishes it never exiled me. Do you remember that day, Selene? Do you remember those words? I told you that just before they sealed me in that pitiful excuse of a black hole, trying to exile me from this universe. But of course you remember and now your grandchild will pay the price – with blood, as I take from her what is rightfully mine.'

* * *

Closing her eyes for but a moment, Setsuna silently analyzed the time stream. She could practically feel every emotion that was coursing through Venus' veins, but that was not important. What was important was that Venus' parents were dead and so was one of the enemy. Opening her eyes, she reminded herself of her mission, of her duty . . . time to go.

Pushing herself up, she closed her eyes once more and almost instantaneously was bathed in a shower of green stars. A moment later she was fully transformed. Turning then to the stunned faces that surrounded her, she assured them, "My duty is to protect you during the Great Freeze but my lingering presence threatens to disrupt the time continuum. You must face this fate alone. Forgive me." With that she opened a portal with the wave of her hand and stepped into it, leaving her confused stunned comrades in her wake never giving them a chance to respond.

Entering the mists of the Time Gate, Pluto listened to the comforting sound of her heels clicking against the stone floor as her eyes silently searched for something.

"I knew you would return . . . sooner or later," a voice called.

Continuing towards the voice she heard the voice call again.

"I granted you entrance when you told me your purpose was to guard them. But as guardian I cannot allow anyone entrance, not even you. You knew that and still you came."

"You seem to forget," Pluto answered, "the fact that I could have easily entered by force. I am stronger than you now – the result of fighting beside my fellow Senshi for all those years and witnessing many years of war and peace in Crystal Tokyo."

Magenta eyes identical to her own could now be seen flashing in the dim light. "Is that why she sent you? Because I am not strong enough to guard them?"

"Yes and no," Pluto responded as she stopped just feet away from what appeared to her twin. They were identical – from her emerald hair right down to the tip of her boot. Identical except that the woman that stood before her had softer features and a rounder face . . . youthful characteristics.

"May I remind you that I also lived in Crystal Tokyo, raised by Uranus and Neptune, while you fought beside your fellow Senshi in the past, and was then sent to train in the Silver Millennium? And when I was ready was sent here to guard the present, just as you guard the future."

"Trained during years of peace, you have never seen battle. It is much different. Your training ended because I could no longer remain in the past without disrupting the time stream. The Neo-Queen summoned me to the future and you were bound by law to remain always at this gate – under penalty of death."

The younger senshi's eyes flashed dangerously once more. "Exceptions are made everyday. The Queen could have released me, just as she released you all those years ago. So explain."

Leaning against her staff a sly smile graced her lips. "Why? You've already explored my time line. You know why I'm here. You know who is behind the attack."

Her younger counterpart furrowed her brow. "You are here to protect them from the man who will lead the Black Moon, Wiseman. I can see no more beyond the initial attack of Crystal Tokyo. But the Gate must always be guarded . . . . I assume she –"

"Yes, Saturn is guarding it in my stead, just as she did after the defeat of the Black Moon."

"Why couldn't she guard them or guard the -- " The younger senshi's eyes widened with realization. "Oh no."

"So now you know. There is no one beside you in this time capable of guarding the Gate. None of the others would be able to endure the solitude – they'd go insane. Who else would be strong enough to guard them while they are in such a vulnerable state? It is only fitting that they receive the best possible protection."

Bowing the younger senshi murmured, "I understand."

"Good and now we wait."

* * *

Everything was a blur. Mercury could remember Mars' scream and hitting the ground again, but that was it. All she knew was the somehow they had managed to cheat death once more and somehow her feet were pounding against the ground bringing her closer and closer to her mother. That's all that mattered – getting to her mother faster than ever. She didn't even know if Mars was behind her, she assumed she was but she couldn't be sure.

But as Mercury climbed a small incline the world suddenly came to a resounding halt. She stood rooted to the ground in total shock. Wrapping her arms around herself she sank numbly to the ground . . . but her eyes, her eyes never left the sight before her.

It was a huge pile of smoldering debris – no longer even recognizable as Tokyo General.

'Gone.' That single horrible cruel word echoed throughout her mind, throughout her very soul. 'Gone.'

Running up behind her, Mars felt her heart break the moment she set eyes on the hospital. All hope was gone that Ami's mother was alive. The university was gone, the hospital was gone, and so was everything in between for that matter. Forcing herself to look away from the devastation, Mars looked to her friend. Mercury was trembling now, rocking back and forth – practically on the verge of a total breakdown. Kneeling down beside her, Mars gathered the trembling girl in her arms. Resting her chin on Mercury's shoulder, she whispered, "It's ok. Just let it all out."

At that Mercury felt something inside her snap. The tears that she had been suppressing flooded down her face and her throat finally voiced the soul-searing pain that throbbed in her chest.

As the scream left Mercury's lips, Mars felt the Earth tremble as wave after wave of power surged from the petite woman's body. 'What the - ?' Mars' eyes widened as she watched the smoldering remains of the hospital and the surrounding area become encased in ice . . . in just a matter of seconds.

Mars' mind was running wild as she continued to comfort the sobbing woman in her arms. Is the Great Freeze happening already? Or was that just Mercury's powers responding to her emotions? Could Mercury be the reason for the Freeze?

But she was not allowed to continue with that train of thought, for just then the air around them began to swirl causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end and sending her senses into overdrive.

"Thanks for the smoke signals, ladies, they led us straight to you," a rich baritone sang in her ear.

Whirling around Mars found that there was no one there.

"Just tell us where the crystal is," a sultry and distinctively female voice purred to her left. "And we'll get this over with quick."

"But not necessarily painlessly," a raspy male voice called out in front of her. While to her right, someone let out a low chuckle.

'Four. There are four of them and we're surrounded . . . . And Mercury is in no condition to fight.' Daring to glance at the still crumbling woman in her arms, Mars knew that she couldn't, wouldn't, make her fight. Releasing Mercury, Mars stood and took a protective stance in front of her.

The air around them began to swirl once more causing her hair to dance. Frowning at her invisible enemies a thought struck her. 'Why should the bad guys be the only ones allowed to play dirty?' Then with her eyes smoldering dangerously, she whispered her attack, "Burning Mandala."Streams of fire flew from her fingertips creating a fiery circle as she turned.

Once the smoke began to clear four figures were just discernable in front o her – three men and a woman. As her visibility improved it was obvious that they were all dressed in black – black slacks and black military boots – and all slightly singed. Apparently the leader was the tall muscular man with short red hair. His bangs fell slightly into his bright violet eyes, while his sleeveless black muscle shirt showed off the expanse of his chest and his large sinewy arms. The woman leaned against him intimately. Her hair and skin starkly contrasted against her black tank top and other apparel, almost seeming translucent. Her long white blonde mane was tied back in a ponytail at the base of her neck to keep it from falling in her cat-like blue eyes.

The two men flanked the pair – each seemingly of average build and sporting a simple black t-shirt. The one to the left of the pair had short unruly black hair that fell into his eyes; while the one to the right had short wavy russet-colored hair and piercing green eyes.

Disentangling himself from the blonde, the leader stepped forward. "A firebrand, I see, my lovely. Not one to beat around the bushes, eh? So let me make this short and sweet."

'The baritone, the first voice,' Mars noted as she silently measured each of them up.

"My name is Lucius and you know why we're here. So where is it?"

"Like it would be that easy," Mars growled.

"Suit yourself." Then snapping his fingers, he called, "Bella."

Within a blink of an eye Mars was off the ground with the blonde's hand firmly around her throat.

Then suddenly a scream let loose, turning all attention to Mercury.

Her eyes, though still a bit bleary, were blazing. Her hands were balled into fists at her sides, as she emitted wave after waved of power.

And in the distance the ice encased ruins of Tokyo General exploded.

Closing her eyes Mars silently braced for impact.

Lucius and his men turned just in time to see hundreds of shards of ice hurdling towards them, before they were impaled. Bella, on the other hand, never saw what hit her. A shard beheaded her before embedding itself in Mars' thigh.

Falling to the ground, Mars threw Mercury half a grin. "Quick and dirty but nonetheless effective." But even as the words were leaving her mouth, spots of darkness began invading her vision and time began to stand still – until finally the darkness claimed her and she slumped to the ground unconscious.


End file.
